NUIA part 3: Dwarf [COMPLETED]

Chapter 4: Ynga

This time, Ludovika managed to land on her two feet at the end of the teleportation. And good for her, because she had been teleported to the middle of a snowy village. Despite the thick leather of her outfit, the landing would have been very cold.

Looking around, Ludovika realised that the village was perched high in the mountains, above a large pine forest. The view she had from here over the whole of the Airain Rock was magnificent, but she did not linger. The apprentice of the Sage of Roads was already walking towards the largest building in the village, and entered it. The Dwarf followed his steps. The mayor greeted them.

"Hello, I am Nodar, apprentice of the Sage of Roads" the apprentice sage introduced himself, "and this is Ludovika. My master sent us here, after he tracked down a fleeing criminal near the village. A squad of Andelph guards was sent here yesterday, but we have not heard from them since."

"Indeed, they have taken the road to the Howling Forest" confirmed the mayor. "People have been mysteriously disappearing there for a few years, so I thought that's what they were investigating. Do you think something happened to them?"

"Hard to say" sighed Nodar.

"Ah, that's right" the mayor suddenly remembered, "the guards also left a crate for you. Apparently they don't know where it came from, but it had Ludovika's name on it."

Ludovika walked over to the box and opened it. It contained ammunition compatible with her pistol! She quickly reloaded her gun and put a supply of bullets in her satchel.

"What is this?" asked the wise apprentice.

"What do you mean, what is it?" replied Ludovika, wrinkling her nose.

"I've never seen a stick like that" said the apprentice. "Does it shoot out those little stones you put inside?"

"It's called a pistol" said Ludovika. "And the pebbles are actually lead bullets... But... Oh!"

The Dwarf suddenly realised the misunderstanding. She had gone back in time, to a time when firearms were not yet popular! She then explained to Nodar how the weapon worked, and he listened with fascination.

They then followed the mayor's directions and headed for the Howling Forest. As the forest became denser and the path narrower, they began to hear howling and the sound of weapons clashing. Suddenly they saw a young guard staggering towards them, wounded.

"Ah, reinforcements at last!" exclaimed the young guard, before dropping into the fresh snow.

"What happened?" asked Ludovika.

"We really hit the viper's nest" sighed the guard. "We're struggling to hold the line, but we can't retreat without endangering the village either..."

"But what are you fighting?" asked Ludovika, incredulous. "I thought you had found Uhlant."

"Not only him, actually" said the guard. "There's a whole horde of Nagas out there!"

Ludovika's blood ran cold. She dashed down the path with the apprentice of the Sage of Roads at her heels. When she reached the end of the path, she found herself in a large clearing where the battle was raging. The guards were struggling to cope with the snake-tailed giants. The Nagas were not very numerous compared to the guards, but they were very powerful, and their scales seemed to protect them effectively against the blades of spears and swords.

Ludovika looked around the battlefield, and finally recognized Uhlant, on the opposite side of the clearing, reciting a macabre incantation in an unknown language. Ludovika could have recognised him among a thousand Nagas. His black and crimson scales, his green eyes and his powerful dark magic aura... She could never forget the terror, but also the anger that the mere sight of this monster gave her.