STRONGHOOF

A MATCH MADE IN VALHALLA

Throughout his many years of service, Stronghoof and his crew were occasionally sent out into Reine’s surrounding territory to track down and apprehend dangerous criminals. One such mission from his youth would become a legend: It involved the investigation of a stranded vessel flying the flag of the Goatani Greats, a notorious group of elite pirates who had been greedily plundering Reine’s treasure barges for the past few months.

The ship had no signs of life, an obvious trap, but no foe could be allowed to escape justice. Stronghoof and Vetr decided to board alone, to avoid any risk to the lives of the warriors under their command. No less than a minute after stepping hoof onto the wrecked ship, their suspicions were confirmed. An imposing ambush party of Foenum’s worst suddenly sprang from their hiding places and caught them surrounded! The ensuing battle was hard fought, and took nearly all of their strength to overcome.

But before they could declare victory, another challenger suddenly appeared, emerging from the lower hold with a ghost-like grace. She was a reindeer, alone, clad in plate armor, beautiful, but her gaze was cold. She stared Stronghoof down with calm confidence. A look that meant death.

Ah, an elite mercenary in service to the enemy! Stronghoof knew of reindeer like this; traitors to the state for salt, and powerful users of Winter Magic. This one was unfamiliar, but she seemed a worthy opponent. Stronghoof summoned every last ounce of vigor he had, and charged!

The mysterious mercenary’s antlers flashed, and a storm of razor-sharp icicles cascaded towards him. Stronghoof conjured his shield and held it aloft to absorb the blows, but there were too many. Vetr was struck instantly and fell back to recover, and as Stronghoof’s own defenses failed and pointed ice sliced into him, he fell to the deck just meters from the enemy.

Not yet! Stronghoof focused his energy into the form of a mighty ice sword and swung it towards the mercenary’s neck, only for the sword to collide with a thin pillar of frozen crystal, her own Winter Magic, conjured faster than he could blink. Stronghoof was wide open and too exhausted to defend himself in time. With one final casting, the mercenary struck back and laid Stronghoof out across the deck of the ship.

As she approached to finish him off, Stronghoof closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable, taking solace in the fact that he was bested by a worthy foe. But when she reached him, the mercenary glanced over him and smiled. “You have talent, warrior. It would be a shame to let it go to waste. I shall let you live a little while longer.” She turned away, disappearing into a cloud of icy mist.

By now the rest of his crew had caught up with him, astonished that he still lived. They begged him to tell them the tale of his impossible victory, but this time he could not find the words. This mysterious warrior who had bested him and shown mercy was the most powerful rival he had ever faced, and already he longed for a rematch. There was not a moment to lose. Time to begin training for their next encounter…