Down the Mountain

The nobles and their guards that had been brought with them had been caught up in a battle as they tried to descend down the mountain.

The best available option for each of them was to retreat to a safe place and request aid from the Capital or to return back to the Capital together.

If they stayed on the mountain then it was more likely that they would be cut off from the outside world and they would be unable to survive a prolonged battle when there were people being picked off when they were in smaller numbers.

There were always many reasons for people to start to split off from the others when they had different opinions to the others and even the simplest reason could take them away from the group for a short time but it would be enough for the enemy to make use of.

Rather than having their numbers reduced by remaining on the mountain, it was best for them all to move together and make their way down the mountain first.

Each of them had packed up and jumped onto their carriages, sleds or the animal they were using as a mount before heading down the mountain.

Lumi and Rayleigh were asked if they would come with them but they declined when asked as they stated that they would stay to wait for Ki.

The best option that was available to them may not have always been the smartest choice to make.

If it was an obvious choice to make that would ensure success then the enemy would have already guessed that they would respond in such a way and would have made preparations for it.

There were few paths that led down the mountain so they did not have to split up their forces that were distributed in different parts of the mountain.

The clashing of metal was heard all around along with the noises of panicking animal cries and the vehicles being dragged across the ground.

Many warriors were fighting on the front lines as they served as the shield and spear of the nobles so that they could block the incoming attacks and used their own power to penetrate through the enemy lines to open a path up for those behind.

There were several bodies littered around on the mountain that were covered in bloodied wounds that had begun to freeze up.

It had become even more frighteningly obvious to those all around that the forces that they had been hoping to meet up with had already been dispatched.

There were not just warriors that had been sent to guard the nobles by their side since there had been those that were assigned other tasks.

In order to ensure the safety of the nobles, it was very important to have enough people patrolling many parts of the mountain and others awaiting them all at the bottom.

Each teams would have a middle ground where they could meet up and communicate so they could pass on any information or send warnings back to the capital.

They were well prepared to protect the lives of the important nobles of the Capital but they could never have known that their preparations were insufficient.

The power behind the lawless city and the Sect that was connected to it was not something that could be underestimated.

Those forces were powerful enough to cause a major disturbance in the Northern Lands.

Even if they could not contend with the two major sects, they could still cause a large amount of chaos and damage to anywhere that they targeted so long as they move using their full forces.

Targeting so many nobles that were the future of the Capital was one way to weaken the power and future potential of the Capital along with causing the foundation to be shaken.

Many heirs of different powerful families would have to find someone else to inherit and take up the position as the next heir so many families would be kept busy with trying to settle their internal affairs and disputes unless there was someone good enough to lead and unite them.

The fight for the throne was still ongoing so the instability of the noble families would cause further difficulties for the current Emperor of the Northern Lands.

Depending on the severity of the damage that had been done and how the people of the Capital responded to it then it could become something big that could break them apart or bring them together to deal with a common enemy.

Not everyone was so willing to put aside their grudges and greed for the greater good but if it could be achieved then having a united Capital would be possible and there would be more hope of them being able to deal with the threat that was further north from the Capital.

If they were united then they were powerful but if they were divided then they would be incapable of maintaining their place in the world.

The bodies of those in the front were dying off very quickly on both sides and some had begun to fall from the animals they were riding so they were forced to fight off their attackers on foot.

Further up the mountain was where Lumi and Rayleigh had been left alone but had not gone too far from their original position.

They were both crouched down behind some large rocks as they checked their surroundings.

It was very quiet around them and there was only their quiet breathes that could be heard besides the small steps taken in the snow by the two Arctic Foxes.

The two Arctic Foxes had stepped out and wandered through some smaller spaces as they had looked around them carefully before moving to the next place where they moved from hiding place to the next.

The two Arctic Foxes stopped after poking their heads out and retreating back to hide as if they had spotted something.

As if they had both seen the same thing as the two Arctic Foxes, Rayleigh and Lumi had placed their hand on the handle of their swords so that they could pull them out as quickly as possible.