"Cold icy rain slaps my face indiscriminately..."
Humming a tune from his hometown, Aldric poured diced smoked meat into the pot, added dried shiitake mushrooms, and stirred slowly.
The aroma rising from the pot condensed into white mist in the cold air, drilling into everyone's internal organs with every breath.
Othor, sitting by the campfire, swallowed audibly. "Aldric, how long until the soup is ready?"
Aldric ladled a bit of the cloudy broth, blew on it, tasted it, and shook his head. "No rush. Not ready yet."
Outside, the sky was completely dark under the cover of rain clouds and tree shadows.
Although the freezing rainstorm had slowly ceased, the entire day had been wasted, the time impossible to recover.
This was fine. The abnormal movements of the Wildlings in the Haunted Forest had put immense pressure on the Night's Watch recently. Nerves were tight as bowstrings.
No one dared travel through the Haunted Forest in freezing rain, so although delayed, the exhausted patrol got a day of rest.
To soothe his companions' moods and fill the ample time, Aldric used his "Cooking" skill again to prepare dinner personally.
In this abandoned house, the fierce bonfire licked the pot's bottom, quickly boiling the smoked meat soup.
The crackling of sparks, the patter of rain outside, the bubbling of soup, and the gulping sounds of the Watchmen formed a cheerful melody, making the small world inside the ruined hut even more serene.
Seeing bubbles rise, Aldric poured in pre-mixed flour water, stirring constantly until the soup thickened. He took the iron pot off the fire.
Calling everyone over, Aldric reminded, "One ladle each. Don't waste it."
Jafer made a strange face. "Waste? How can you have such a weird idea? I can drink half a pot myself! Make more next time."
Benjen, waiting long, took the last ladle, shaking his head while drinking. "Our remaining supplies can't support such extravagance. When we get to Craster's Keep, we'll see if we can trade for some. Endure for now."
In Benjen's original plan, they should have been on the return trip by now.
But five empty villages in a row couldn't be ignored, leading to insufficient supplies for the remaining journey.
Luckily, Craster was still a friend of the Watch. They could try to get food from him. But if Craster had fled too, Benjen's group would be in big trouble...
But that was for the leader to worry about. The others just followed orders.
Gordon drank half a bowl of the localized spicy meat soup in one breath, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and sighed. "Aldric, if you joined the Black Brothers, with this hot soup alone, I'd vote you for Lord Commander."
Aldric smiled without speaking.
Jafer laughed, pointing his spoon at Gordon. "Gordon, your way of thanking Aldric is making him take the black?"
Seeing Gordon embarrassed, Aldric comforted him, "It's fine. Sooner or later, I'll return. I'll make soup for you then, and bring Arbor wine."
A brother named Wyl shouted, "I want Arbor women!"
The straightforward wish made everyone laugh.
Eating and chatting, the fatigue and pressure accumulated over days dissolved in the relaxed atmosphere.
Full and content, they packed up, barred the heavy door with a log, and prepared to sleep.
Suddenly, the horses tied in the adjacent empty house neighed in terror. The sound of hooves striking the ground came through the wall.
Benjen listened intently, then warned, "Situation! Weapons up, let's check."
When enemies are outside, staying isolated in a wood-and-thatch house isn't wise.
Hearing the order, everyone jumped from their blankets, grabbed weapons, lit torches from the fire, followed Benjen out, and stood in the cold drizzle.
The moonless, starless deserted village was especially dead and dim. Even pine torches couldn't light up more than three meters away.
Vaguely, Aldric saw several men in furs holding swords and axes standing in the darkness nearby, silently watching the Night's Watch.
Benjen stepped forward. "Who are you?"
No response.
This wasn't a battlefield Benjen knew. Conflict wasn't wise. He added, "Tosh and Bannon are my friends. Maybe we can talk."
Without a word, the strangers—unknown hatred or motive driving them—closed in fast, axes swinging at Benjen.
Benjen dodged sideways, retreated to his brothers, and shouted, "Engage!"
The shout was a command for both sides. Black brothers charged with war cries; enemies met them in silence.
As the strongest of the eight, Aldric naturally took the front.
To relieve pressure on his partners, Aldric cut into the enemy formation, picking the largest Wildling to slash.
The enemy blocked easily with a wooden shield on his left arm, chopping at Aldric's left flank with an axe in his right.
Aldric pulled back his long saber, raising his right arm to block with his gauntlet.
Crossing over months ago, no one had breached his armor. For a long time, he abandoned shields. This trip, he didn't even bring one.
As expected, the axe blade hit the gauntlet—no break, no crack, no bend.
But the immense force made Aldric stumble.
Before he stabilized, the enemy followed up. He rolled away to reset.
Regaining stance, Aldric was shocked. Wildlings are this strong?
A random opponent had such strength.
Uneasy, he checked the surroundings. In these few breaths, four of his seven companions had fallen. The remaining three were struggling.
"Othor, look out!"
Benjen's voice.
Aldric cursed inwardly. "Fuck!"
Anxiety rose.
Wildlings were fierce, but this fierce?
Seven experienced rangers, four down instantly, three suppressed. Even the confident Aldric took a small loss.
These weren't normal enemies. Wildling elites?
Aldric originally planned to use pure physical attacks, saving mana for post-battle healing.
Continuing like this, there might be no "post-battle."
Seeing the remaining three knock down an enemy together, Aldric shouted, "Quick, into the house! Defend!"
Aldric didn't see Benjen. The free enemies closed in. He couldn't hold back. Raising his hand, he cast Blessing of Might on himself. A blue fist phantom appeared over his head. Then he infused Light into his weapon. Strike of the Hydra glowed gold.
He shouted, "Consecration!"
Golden holy fire spread from him, covering a five-meter radius.
Two Wildlings stepping into range shrieked piercingly and fell.
Aldric stomped one's neck, breaking it, and pierced the other's chest.
The moment the sun-power-infused blade entered the chest, thick foul blood sprayed. The Wildling twitched violently and stopped.
Huh? Sun power has this effect?
On the Wall, with fast mana regen, Aldric quietly tested skills. They worked, but without combat, he saw no effects.
Now, seeing the damage, he was surprised. It wasn't as "noble" as he imagined.
But surprise lasted a second. He engaged the next round.
With Sun power, remaining enemies' defenses broke easily. One slash to break guard, one to kill.
These fierce Wildlings didn't flinch at injuries, silently meeting death.
Soon, Aldric cleared the attackers. His mana was below 10%.
In the deserted village, friend and foe lay on the ground.
His last three partners didn't make it to the house. They fell just outside the door.
In the biting drizzle, Aldric turned over his teammates' bodies, heart aching.
Othor's neck was half-severed. Gordon's skull caved in. Jafer disemboweled... Seven brothers, only Benjen survived thanks to armor, but a terrible wound stretched from his face to his right chest. Blood loss and trauma left him dying in a coma.
Aldric used his last mana to cast Flash of Light, barely stabilizing the wound, unable to fully heal it.
Sitting in blood, looking at his half-dead companion, Aldric smiled bitterly.
Beyond the Wall, mana recovered, but far slower than atop it.
To fill the bar again, he had to wait.
But the enemy wouldn't give him time. A gust of wind passed. Aldric rolled instinctively. Looking back, the enemy whose neck he broke stood up again.
Terrified, Aldric grabbed his saber, jumped, and decapitated it with a horizontal slash.
Horrifyingly, the body fell silently. The expected blood fountain from the neck didn't appear. It was like a corpse long dead.
Only now did Aldric realize the source of his unease.
Strong, silent, unretreating, fearless... Wights?
Aldric kicked the corpse, shivering.
Rustling sounds came from afar.
Not knowing if more were coming, Aldric didn't dare linger. He kicked open the stable door, tied Benjen to his horse, mounted Lightning, grabbed the other horses' reins, and fled the death-shrouded village.
On a nearby low hill, a pair of glowing blue eyes watched him leave coldly.
Unsure if the path back was ambushed, Aldric dared not return the way he came, fumbling south.
After a night of blind travel, at dawn, man and horse were exhausted. Aldric stopped by a stream.
He placed Benjen under a tree, cleaned the wound with water and strong wine, and bandaged it.
Done, he took horses to drink.
Breaking the ice took time. When he returned, Benjen was awake.
Seeing only Aldric, he asked weakly, "Cough... just us... two?"
Aldric nodded sorrowfully. "Yeah... They fought to the last moment. Good men."
Benjen closed his eyes, murmuring, "Couldn't kill them... couldn't kill them! When that thing chopped Othor, I stabbed its chest, but it ignored it and cut Othor's throat!"
"I rushed to push it down, but it wouldn't move... That's not human strength. Where did they come from?"
Recalling his guess, Aldric said carefully, "Could they be... Wights?"
"Wights..."
Benjen struggled to stand but fell, pain tearing his chest.
Aldric steadied him. "Your wound is severe. Careful or you die."
"We must go back ASAP," Benjen shook off his hand. "Must tell the Old Bear. Can't let the Watch face such enemies unprepared."
He crawled up, staggered to his horse, fell again after two steps, and fainted.
"Why so stubborn?"
Aldric didn't want Benjen dying here. If he died, how to explain?
Eight went, one returned unscathed, others killed by Wights?
Must save Benjen.
Aldric tied Benjen to the horse again and headed south.
Though Benjen was heavily wounded, Aldric's Flash of Light kept him alive.
But because the wound wouldn't fully heal, it got infected.
Seeing Benjen feverish and delirious, Aldric recalled his near-death experience outside White Harbor and tried using Cleanse to drive away inflammation.
That night, Benjen improved. But next morning, infection returned.
To recover, the wound needed to close fully. But Aldric's mana regen couldn't support both Cleanse and Flash of Light.
Flash of Light healed tissue but didn't cure infection. Cleanse cured infection but didn't heal tissue.
Only back at the Wall would he have enough mana to save Benjen. But Benjen couldn't guide them now.
Anxious as a headless fly, Aldric dragged the dying Benjen through the forest. Unknowingly, they entered a dense grove of Weirwoods. In the center stood a tree requiring four men to encircle, with a bizarre human face carved into it.