GH - 207

“If we wipe out all the Frost Imp camps,” I said, “their leader will appear and we can kill it for Ichor, isn’t that right?”

“Yep,” said Megan. “That’s what Nitana and I did.”

“Same as me,” said Paritor.

“So… how can we do that if they’re not here?” I wondered.

We stood at the mouth of the Frost Imp camp nearest to the waypoint Totem of the Rotten Cedarlyon area, a few steps past their crude spike wall. The openings of many small brown tents furiously flapped in the strong wind, revealing their unoccupied insides. Some tents were destroyed, the golden ores in front of them the only hint of what they once were. The Frost Imps appeared to have used the golden ores like campfires. Amusing to think that regular fires would probably hurt them.

Walking further into their camp, we confirmed there really were no Frost Imps around. More flattened tents. Pots and pans were strewn around. It looked like the Frost Imps had left in a hurry some time ago because of some… dangerous reason.

“Where did they go?” Megan asked, answering my question with a question.

“Somewhere not here,” Nitana mumbled.

I refreshed my [Greater Pyro Shell] and turned on [Unselfish Blighted Decay] to self-inflict damage, turning it off after [Ancestral Constitution] reached max stacks. There was something not right, besides the obvious. “Does this count as a camp getting wiped out?” Answering my question, I said, “Probably not, or else their boss would be around here… unless it got killed already.”

I broke into a trot and continued to scout the empty camp. The others also spread out. I came upon broken weapons—a spear with a shattered shaft and an axe with a split blade. The Frost Imps fought here, but I wasn’t sure against what. It had been snowing, and any trace of their enemy was gone. The Frost Imps also could’ve fought amongst themselves. No corpses around. Either they had turned to Essence and Gli or they were eaten—I still wasn’t sure of the rules on dead bodies.

“Is this supposed to happen?” I asked my party when we regrouped in the middle of the camp. They shared that they also found traces of battle, but no Frost Imps.

“I’m not sure,” Nitana said. “Could be they’re not gone because we already got the Ichor from their boss? Their camp in a mess might mean this is a continuation of wiping them out or something.”

“Like, we already beat them, so that’s just it?” Megan wondered. “We can’t get their Ichor anymore? Super sorry, Herald, if that’s what’s going on.”

“What are you apologizing for?” I said. “If that’s the case, I can leave the party and do this on my own.”

I realized that all five of my teammates had gotten the Ichor from the Frost Imp leader. Melonomi hadn’t mentioned it, but I assumed she had done this side quest of sorts too. How selfish must I’ve looked dragging everyone here for my gain? I hurriedly told them that this was a test to check if those who had already gotten the Ichor from a particular source could help and party with someone who hadn’t.

I slowly nodded as if it was my plan all along. “This experiment shows it isn’t possible.”

“Wait a moment, Herald,” said Kezo. “We can’t be too sure of that. The Great Hunt may affect the Frost Imps as it does many monsters. Not all bosses and mini-bosses join the Great Hunt, but those that do leave their spots. The Rotten Cedarlyon that should be over that way isn’t there. I saw it killed outside the Hunter-Warriors’ Camp. I’m not sure if you guys caught it because it happened so fast. The Frost Imp boss could be out there. And during the previous Great Hunt, I’ve killed several Frost Imps—that proves some of them do move around during the event. But I haven’t visited this spot during the event to be a hundred percent certain.”

“You’re saying that the Frost Imp leader might’ve brought its tribe to join the Great Hunt?”

“I support Kezo’s hypothesis,” Paritor chimed in. “Take the Hailstorm Crabores we were tasked to kill for example. They live inside ice mounds near Tri-Horns Pass. Imagine anthills made of ice the size of a Mardukryon house.”

“Like an igloo?” I suggested.

“Ah, that’s a more apt comparison,” said Paritor. “Hailstorm Crabores leave their igloo-like abodes during the Great Hunt. Players take this opportunity to raid their homes for aged shell scraps, which are quite valuable. In the case of Frost Imps, either we wait for the end of the Great Hunt or look for them.”

“Not sure where, or if, we’ll find the Frost Imp leader,” I said. “But I can try leaving the party now, just to be sure it’s not missing because you all got an Ichor from it. We should leave this place first before I—”

A guttural bellow reverberated through the forest. The ground beneath our hooves shook as if a giant drummed in the distance.

Nitana raised her staff and summoned her [Putrefied Nymphs]. “The heck’s going on? Is this part of the event?”

“We might get to see why the Frost Imps aren’t here,” said Melonomi. She chucked potions at us, coating us with various buffs.

Following Melonomi’s lead, and ever the supportive support member, I switched to my [Lowan’s Oud] and played [Carhoni’s Chorus], covering each one in the party with a barrier. Then I canceled the song and returned to dual-wielding shields. Fortunately, the barriers remained; it would’ve been embarrassing if they disappeared. I was right that continuously performing was only for refreshing the shields, not maintaining them. Now, I had two barriers coating me.

“Thank you, Herald,” said Paritor. His numerous pets were also protected by barriers, which I didn’t expect would happen.

“You can always count on me,” I quickly replied.

The earthy call echoed again, closer this time. The shaking increased in intensity. Then new sounds flitted through the trees. Gibberish chattering, cackling, impish sounding voice. Imps? It had been a while since I fought them, but memories of the noises they made returned.

“To our left!” Kezo pointed his flaming sword in the direction of the enemy.

Through gaps in the trees, I spied a [Lvl 33 Frost Imp] weaving through thick trunks, waving its little hatchet as it ran. Two others of its kind appeared. We arranged ourselves to meet the incoming enemy as the three turned into a dozen. And then doubled. Their annoying cries masked the booms of the giant beasts, probably enemies as well, also heading our way.

“They’re coming from over there too!” Megan exclaimed, pointing to our new left.

“From behind us,” added Nitana. “They’re all around.”

“This makes it so much easier that they’re coming for us,” I said.

“Looks too many for one camp of Frost Imps,” said Melonomi. “Are these from all of the camps?”

“They’re just level-thirtyish monsters. No worries,” said Kezo. “Let’s clear them before whatever’s making that booming noise appears. Attack!” He raised his swords and slashed downwards, sending cascades of black flames that peeled back the snow from the ground to reveal earth. The wall of flames rolled through the trees, stripping off their barks, and met the horde of Frost Imps. Blackened earth remained after the flames disappeared.

Streams of blue and violet sparkles snaked through the air to our party. Though only I was near the level of the Frost Imps in our party, Kezo killed so many of them that a noticeable amount of Essence and Gli emerged.

Nitana, Megan, and Paritor’s giant fire cat also fired their spells, one for each of the other cardinal directions, dispatching the Frost Imps before they could leave the tree line.

Though it was good news that the Frost Imps were here, I didn’t appreciate standing like a fixture while my teammates had an easy time decimating mobs. My buffs were expiring without getting used. The dilemma of a tank—if the content was easy, no one needed tanks. Unless some mechanics required it. Too difficult, and everyone would blame the tank even if it might be the DPSers' fault for not dealing enough damage. This was why I felt justified bossing around people when I tanked for parties.

“If we wipe out these Frost Imps,” I said, “maybe their leader will—wait! Is that it?”

Slinking through the high branches to avoid the infernal barbecue on the ground, [Lvl 44 Frost Imp Chief: Velthur] was a zipping blue ball. I almost missed it because it wasn’t much taller than the regular Frost Imp. Fatter, though. The metal and leather armor covering its roundish body was studded with golden crystals, giving it a regal appearance.

It paused for a moment to look below, hanging from a branch with arms that were twice longer than its dying subordinates. Its long, pointy ears twitched. Then, it faced us, grimacing and gnashing its fangs.

I readied myself. It had ranged attacks and was annoying to fight, from what I could remember Megan and Nitana told me. Kezo could probably off it in a hit or two, so I didn’t need to prepare for anything.

But the Frost Imp Chief didn’t attack.

A large crack snapped like the sound of a fired gun amplified many times. A towering tree behind Velthur began to fall. Other trees followed suit as an unseen behemoth seemingly bulldozed the forest, heading towards us.

Finally, some action! But if this was too difficult, I still wouldn’t have much of a role. Nonetheless, I refreshed my buffs yet again as we got a clearer view of the enemy.

“That’s an Alpha Cragodon!” shouted Kezo. “What’s it doing here?”

The [Lvl 69 Alpha Cragodon] was a small hill of muscles, armored with a hide of rocks, its oversized horn like an ancient tree growing out of its nose. Its head, as large as my body, whipped left and right. It used its horn to break so its shoulder could fit through the trees. It bellowed, inflicting us with various debuffs. Then it stomped its squat forelegs.

The Frost Imp Chief went to the next tree, perfectly timing its jump so it’d be mid-air when the earth quaked. When the Alpha Cragodon’s leg hit the earth, it was as if the ground became liquid as it rippled. Rolls of snow headed down towards us.

“An avalanche!” Megan shouted with all her might, trying to compete with the roar of the snow tsunami.

“Melt it, duh!” Nitana switched to her explosive fairies.

Kezo performed a sword dance, rapidly swinging his blades in wide arcs. With each swipe, a ribbon of fire was left circling him, making a dozen flaming rings around him in a second. Kezo then twirled both his swords in front of him like helicopter blades, sucking all the fire and spouting a huge blazing tornado. Megan, Nitana, and Paritor also fired at the incoming avalanche.