Jay groaned, his ears flattening against his skull. "This is why I hate the North," he grumbled.

From the wreckage of the first carriage, ten soldiers sprang into action. Some leaping from within the interior, others vaulting down from the roof. Each one brandished a sword and a shield, their breath forming icy plumes as they prepared to attack. The carriage now lay in ruins, a heap of splintered wood and twisted iron thrown across the snowy ground.

"We'd better get out of here," Jamie urged, flinging open the carriage door and jumping down into the snow. His boots crunched against the frozen crust as he landed, observing the chaotic surroundings.

No sooner had he spoken than the land trembled once more. Bursting forth from beneath, another monstrous creature emerged. Another winged centipede of colossal size. Its segmented body writhed as it surged toward the second carriage. The creature's eyes glowed with a cold hunger, and its mandibles clicked as it waited to find its food.

Seeing Lady Maria directly in the beast's path, the soldiers did not hesitate. They charged forward, forming a defensive line as they raised their blades and spears.

The soldiers struck at the creature's glossy shell. In that instant, a violent reaction erupted. A shockwave of heat and flame burst from the creature's plates. Fire surged from the gaps between its segments, swallowing the area in flames. The fires and the explosion sent the men tumbling backward, cries of panic ripped from their lips.

"Hell! What happened?" A soldier screamed.

"No clue. Get away from it!" One of the captains tried to organize the mess.

Weapons clattered to the ground, the metal glowing red-hot from the intense heat.

"Shit! The weapons." A soldier yelled while trying to hold his sword. "They're too hot."

Soldiers scrambled to release their grips, gauntlets smoldering as the temperature seared through leather and flesh.

"Don't strike the shell! They use heat to repel attacks! Aim between the plates!" Jay meowed. The cat had taken refuge behind a snowbank, his golden fur stark against the white backdrop.

"How do you know?" Jamie called out, casting a hurried glance at his feline guardian.

"It's a Remorhaz!" Jay replied. "They're common in the North! You should know this!"

"Right!" Jamie nodded, his mind racing. He turned to the confused soldiers. "Avoid the armor! Strike between the plates!"

Amidst the mess, Maria unfastened her long outer dress. The elegant garment slipped away to reveal the practical attire beneath. She was wearing finely crafted, dark leather armor. It hugged her form, allowing improver her agility without sacrificing protection.

"I told you it wouldn't be safe," Maria remarked as she strode past Jay, briefly brushing her hand over his head. The golden-furred cat flicked his tail in mild annoyance, watching her with keen eyes.

She drew her rapier and held it before her with a determined gaze. Maria's posture was poised, every muscle ready to spring into action.

"You're going to fight?" Jamie asked, surprise evident in his voice. Until that moment, he had only seen her as a manager, someone who orchestrated events from the sidelines.

She shot him a sharp glance. "Look who's talking. At least I'm a rogue. You're the one who's going to be strumming little tunes," she retorted with a smirk.

Jamie chuckled, drawing his daggers from their sheaths at his waist. "Care to make a wager?" he challenged.

"That's what I get for associating with bards. All they want is to drink and gamble," Maria quipped, her eyes flashing with mischief. "Let's see if you can even keep up with my speed."

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With that, she launched herself toward the nearest centipede-like creature. Her movements were a blur of grace and precision as she dashed across the snow-covered ground. The Remorhaz loomed ahead. Its massive, segmented body bristling with icy spines, each leg ending in a razor-sharp claw.

Maria danced around the creature's segments, her rapier weaving a silver arc as she deflected a attack aimed at her head. She slipped beneath the beast's belly. The heat emanating from its scales causing the air to shimmer. With a swift thrust, she drove her blade deep into the soft flesh between the plates.

The Remorhaz let out a piercing shriek, rearing back. A green blood-like liquid oozed from the wound. The second creature, sensing its companion's distress, abandoned its attack on the soldiers and turned toward Maria.

The soldiers, seeing the colossal beast shifting direction, leaped aside. They scrambled to avoid being crushed by the massive centipede.

'At least they're slow,' Jamie noted, sprinting toward the second Remorhaz. With daggers in hand, he slipped between the creature's lumbering legs, his footsteps light upon the snow. The beast snapped its jaws at him, but he was too quick.

He struck swiftly, his blades in the joints between the creature's armor. Each stab produced a hiss of pain, a foul mixture of pus and viscous blood spurting from the wounds. The nauseating stench filled the air. A putrid blend that clung to his senses, making him want to throw up.

'Just my luck,' Jamie thought, resisting the urge to gag as he continued his assault. He focused his mind, pushing past the revulsion.

As he darted around to the creature's flank, the Remorhaz whipped its massive tail toward him. Jamie dropped into a slide, the tail sweeping inches above him. Regaining his footing, he launched himself upward, driving both daggers into the underside of the beast's tail.

The creature roared, thrashing wildly. Nearby, Maria continued her onslaught, her rapier a blur as she struck with precision.

"Not bad for a bard," Maria called out, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Likewise," Jamie retorted, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Soldiers regrouped under the cries of their captains. Meanwhile, archers were releasing volleys of arrows aimed at the creatures' eyes and joints. The Remorhaz, overwhelmed by the efforts of the warriors and the assaults from Jamie and Maria, began to falter.

With a glance from the corner of his eye, Jamie observed Maria as she moved across the battlefield. She was astonishingly quick, perhaps even faster than he was.

However, the reason Jamie was watching was different. It was partly his pride.

'If she's not going to use magic, then I won't either,' he thought, changing his tactics.

Gradually, the soldiers surrounding them began to realize that the threat was fading. Though some bore wounds from the initial attack, it was obvious that the monsters were far from invincible. Had they continued their attempts to pierce the creatures' heavy carapaces, the battle might have ended in disaster. But with the knowledge of the beasts' vulnerable points, they quickly turned the tide.

"My gods, those two could finish this on their own," one soldier murmured. He had his eyes wide as he watched Maria and Jamie outmaneuver and strike at the flailing monsters. Their synergy on the battlefield was something to behold.

"Is that what she sees in him?" another soldier questioned, curiosity evident in his tone as he observed the pair.

"I heard she was the one who proposed to him," a third soldier chimed in, lowering his weapon to engage in the gossip.

"Really?" the second soldier responded, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"They say they made it official on the bridge of the Noble Quarter," the third continued, a hint of envy in his voice.

"There are more romantic places than that," the first soldier scoffed.

"It's a marriage of convenience. You know how nobles are," the second soldier remarked.

"Even so, they make a good couple," the first soldier conceded with a shrug before moving off to assist some of the wounded. Other soldiers began gathering the supplies from the destroyed carriages, casting glances at Jamie and Maria as they worked.

Jamie felt warmth creep up his neck and settle in his cheeks as snippets of the soldiers' conversation reached his ears. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself, gripping his blades. He directed his focus into each strike, pouring his energy into ending the battle.

"Finished!"

Maria and Jamie's voices rang out in unison.

A few heartbeats later, both monstrous carcasses collapsed onto the snowy ground. The earth trembled with the weight of the fallen beasts, and then all was still.

"I finished first," Maria declared her triumph. She had a playful sparkle in her eyes as she sheathed her rapier.

"Not a chance. Mine died before yours," Jamie retorted, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He couldn't help but rise to the challenge. A competitive spirit flickered between them.

She arched an eyebrow. "Care to place a wager on that?"

He chuckled. "Weren't you the one who didn't want to bet?"

The soldiers exchanged amused glances, relief now evident on their faces as the immediate danger had passed.

One of them stepped forward, clearing his throat. "I think someone needs to mention that we'll have to walk to the next town," he said, glancing between Jamie and Maria.

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