Cedric rushed back to the outpost. The news about Lord Kaelen, the Frost Elf Lord with the silver wolf banner, felt heavy and dangerous. It wasn't just a raiding party; it was another real leader, another Lord who saw the Northern Territory as a new prize.
He found Steven right away, who looked worried, standing by the now-closed cellar entrance where they'd hidden the best pieces of the Drake Mother.
"The Frost Elves," Steven grumbled. "They're fast. If they see the Dwarves' smoke or the construction, they'll know we're worth taking over, not just raiding."
"Exactly," Cedric said, his mind spinning fast. "We must keep the truth hidden. We're still the dying outpost. You need to make the outside look worse than before. Pile up the snow high, block the windows, and make sure the fires are minimal, giving off only a thin, sad smoke. We need to look abandoned and almost frozen to death."
Steven nodded. "The illusion of failure. I can do that, Commander."
Cedric immediately sought out Lysandra. She was the only one who could handle this kind of dangerous, silent work. She was already getting her gear ready, sharpening her knives and checking her ropes.
"Lysandra, forget the Dwarf trail for now," Cedric told her. "Your new target is Lord Kaelen. That scout only saw him from far away. Kaelen is not here for a quick raid; he's here to claim territory, which means he has a camp and a purpose."
"The Frost Elves are masters of silence," Lysandra warned, her voice low. "They blend with the snow and move fast. Tracking them is suicide."
"But necessary," Cedric insisted. "You must find his main force, and more importantly, his objective. Does he simply want the land, or is he looking for something specific? Report back at the first sign of a fixed camp or any unusual activity."
Lysandra gave a crisp salute and vanished into the night, moving like a dark ripple in the white snow.
Cedric knew he couldn't just sit and wait. He had to prepare for a fight. He needed to practice his new magic.
He went to the back of the outpost, far from the sentries and the cellars. He needed to know if his Cryo-Mage power could hold up against someone who was a real, natural ice mage.
He tried the [Ice Lance] skill first. He held out his hand and focused hard. It felt like pulling freezing air directly out of the sky and squeezing it into a point. A long, sharp shard of blue ice shot out of his hand, hitting an old, dead tree trunk with a sharp CRACK. The wood splintered, and the ice shard buried itself deep.
It works. It's strong.
He tried the [Frost Shroud] next. He pushed the cold out around his body, and a visible shimmer of perfect, clear frost coated his clothes. It wasn't just cold; it was defensive cold. It made him feel solid and untouchable.
[Cryo-Mage Mana Status: 180 / 250 MP.]
Practicing made his Mana drop fast, which meant he couldn't keep fighting for long. He had to be smart, a strategist using a small, sharp knife, not a blunt hammer.
Two days later, Lysandra returned. She didn't come through the main gate; she was suddenly just there, stepping out of the shadows near the hearth.
She was exhausted, her lips cracked, but her eyes held a feverish, important light.
"Commander, I found their camp," she reported, speaking quickly. "It's further north than expected, near the old glacier lines. And they are not a raiding party. They are a permanent force."
She paused to catch her breath, then dropped the biggest piece of news. "And they aren't alone. They have a population. They've captured civilians."
"Captives?" Cedric asked, leaning closer, his attention absolute.
"At least two hundred of them, Commander," Lysandra confirmed. "Humans, dressed in rough furs, forced to live in terrible conditions in temporary shelters near the Frost Elf camp. They're being used as labor to mine the deeper ice caves for some kind of crystal. They're weak, starving, and guarded by three squads of Elf archers."
This changed everything. This wasn't just a military threat; it was a resource opportunity. Liberating a large population of over 200 people would instantly solve the outpost's biggest problem: the lack of hands for building, gathering, and farming (once the snow melted). These people would see him as their savior, their true Lord.
"Lord Kaelen is not just claiming land; he's claiming people," Cedric realized. "He's establishing a forced labor camp to fund his operation."
"What do we do, Commander?" Steven asked, having listened to the report. "We can't attack the camp; we'd lose every man. There are too many Elves, and their archers are deadly."
Cedric felt a sudden surge of cold confidence. His plan began to form, utilizing everything he had: the stealth of Lysandra, the power of the Dwarves, and the secrecy of his own magic.
"We don't attack the camp. We attack the supply line," Cedric stated, pointing to his map. "The Elves are relying on the terrain to protect them. They are arrogant. They think they're safe in the ice."
"Lysandra, you will lead the two most reliable scouts. You will track their supply caravans—they'll be moving food and crystal back and forth. Do not engage, just track the route."
"Steven, you will immediately return to Thoric Stonehand. Tell him the Siege Rams and the Dry-Stonework schematics are now the only thing that matters. We need the walls yesterday. Offer him the entire Drake Mother skull—the most valuable bone—as a bonus if he speeds up the process."
"And the captives?" Steven asked.
Cedric looked at the map, tracing the route from the captive camp to the main road. "We need to hit the Elves hard and fast, where they least expect it, and create a gap. We won't rescue them during the day. We'll wait for the deepest part of the night, when the cold is the most intense."
He looked out the window at the snow-covered land. "The Frost Elves are powerful, but they don't fear the cold; they rely on it. It's their territory. I, however, will use the cold as a weapon. This is where Ice meets Ice, and we prove which one is colder."
His new title was already decided in his mind: The Winter Lord. To earn it, he had to defeat a true ice master and free the people who would become his new kingdom.