She looked at Li Yu with a new scrutiny.

  "How are your injuries?"

  "Recovering," Li Yu lied smoothly. "I need one more day to stabilize my foundation. I will be at the capital tomorrow."

  "That is good to hear." Thyra nodded. "Take the time that you need. We need you at full strength. And Li Yu... be careful. It seems you have made a very powerful enemy."

  "I am starting to have a collection of them," Li Yu said dryly. "See you tomorrow, Marshall."

  He cut the connection and went back to his own thoughts. A heavy knock rattled the heavy oak door.

  "Li Yu! Are you alive in there or is Krell just eating all the rations?"

  The door swung open and Torben strode in. The Sect Master of the Frost Iron Sect looked exhausted. He clearly hadn't slept much in the three days that Li Yu was out.

  "Torben," Li Yu smiled as he went to stand up.

  Torben crossed the room in two strides and grabbed Li Yu by the shoulders. He looked him up and down.

  "You scared us, boy," Torben grunted. "Krell comes back dragging you like a dead seal. We thought the Ghosts got you in the final fight."

  "I am hard to kill," Li Yu chuckled. He felt the warmth of someone who cared about his well being.

  "Evidently," Torben laughed and slapped Li Yu’s back much too strongly for a patient that is recovering. "You look... good. Better than good."

  Li Yu chuckled. "Something like that."

  "Well, you better be ready," Torben said as he went to pour himself a cup of wine from Krell’s stash on the table. "The North is going crazy. You can't walk into a tavern without hearing your name."

  "My name?"

  "Your name. Your mercenary group. Your... battle cry," Torben grinned. "The 'Silent Winter' that was plaguing us is over, Li Yu. The panic is gone now. And do you know why?"

  "Because the Ghosts are dead?"

  "Because the Crab Claws, together with the Thunder King and Death Seeker, killed them," Torben corrected. "Stories are spreading faster than a blizzard. And let me tell you... they are getting quite creative."

  At the Frozen Tusk Tavern in a city far away, conversation was flowing as freely as the drinks. The tavern was packed. Smoke from the hearth hung thick in the air, smelling of roasted boar and ale. Men, women, mercenaries and sect disciples banged their mugs on the tables.

  "Tell it again, Bard!" A one-eyed mercenary shouted. "Tell us about the Razor-Edge!"

  The bard, a young man with a lute and a flair for the dramatic, stood on a table. He strummed a heavy chord. ‘Looks like earning some coins will be easy for the next few days at least!’ He thought to himself. Then he began.

  "It was the darkest hour!" The bard bellowed. "The Thunder King lay broken! His lightning shattered! The Death Seeker, Vorgnir, was on his knees and weeping like a babe!"

  "He wasn't weeping!" A voice shouted from the back. "Vorgnir doesn't weep! You better be careful saying such a thing. He might kill you if he ever heard it!"

  "He was weeping blood!" The bard corrected smoothly. "Tears of crimson rage! Fifty monsters stood upon the ridge! Fifty demons from the depths of hell! The monsters that haunted the dreams of so many people. They looked down upon our heroes and laughed!"

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The tavern went silent.

  "And then!" The bard strummed faster. "From the sky! Not from a ship! Not from a rift! But stepping down from the sun itself! He came!"

  "Li Yu!" the crowd roared.

  "Li Yu!" The bard agreed. "The Snow Crab! He stood before the fifty! Did he draw his famous Glaive of Destruction? No! Did he cast a spell? No!"

  The bard paused for effect.

  "He opened his mouth! And he spoke the words of power! What gives his mercenary group their strength!"

  The bard took a deep breath.

  "WE ARE THE CRAB CLAWS!" The barb screamed. The entire tavern screamed it back while raising their mugs. "WE ARE THE CRAB CLAWS!"

  "And at his voice," the bard whispered while leaning in. "The sky cracked. The mountains shook. And the fifty demons... they just exploded."

  "Exploded?" A drunk miner asked while wide-eyed. “Just like that?”

  "Popped like blisters!" The bard confirmed. "Their souls could not handle the majesty of the Crab! They looked at him, realized their insignificance, and died of shame!"

  "I heard he's ten feet tall," someone whispered.

  "I heard he has claws under his gloves," another said. “That he’s actually a crab that transformed into a human but couldn’t go all the way.”

  "I heard he eats demon cores like candy," a third added.

  In the corner, a group of Iron Hawk mercenaries were listening. Having actually fought beside Li Yu, they were shaking their heads but they were smiling.

  "He isn't ten feet tall," the captain of the Iron Hawks said quietly to his lieutenant. "He's normal size. Looks like a scholar in fact."

  "Does it matter?" The lieutenant asked. He took a big sip of ale.

  "No," the captain said. "It doesn't. Because he saved us. Let them have their stories. The North loves a hero. We can use as many as we can get."

  At the Central Command Outpost two guards were standing watch on the wall. They were looking out at the snow.

  "You hear about the Crab Claws?" One asked as he was stamping his feet to stay warm.

  "Who hasn't in recent days?" The other replied. "My cousin in the Glacier Sect said they're recruiting. Said they only take people who can survive a direct hit from a Soul Formation’s soul attack."

  "I heard their leader, Li Yu, is actually a dragon in human form," the first guard said. "That's why he uses Water Arts. He's a Frost Dragon Prince."

  "Don't be stupid," the second guard scoffed. "Dragons wouldn’t bother with us humans. No, I heard he's a hidden son of Thyra."

  "Thyra? One of the Grand Marshells? Does she have a husband?"

  "That’s why he’s hidden, stupid! Think about it. He appears out of nowhere. Is incredibly strong. He kills things by looking at them. And who went out as fast as possible to that fight? It was Grand Marshall Thyra going to save her son. Who else could he be?"

  "Maybe," the first guard mused. "Either way... I'm glad he's on our side. If he shouted at me, I think I'd just lay down and die to save him the trouble."

  Back at the Frost Iron Sect, Li Yu sneezed.

  "Someone is talking about you," Krell noted. He then unrolled a map of the capital.

  "Everyone is talking about him," Torben laughed out loud. He was enjoying hearing some of the stories. Since he knew Li Yu better now, he could better tell what was real and what wasn’t. He began pouring another round for the three.

  "You are famous, Li Yu. You are getting a lot of names. Snow Crab, Little Crab, Normal Crab but I think the one I like the most is the ‘Hidden Son of Thyra.’ Hahaha."

  "Hidden Son?" Li Yu groaned as he was burying his face in his hands. “Who started that rumor? I have to go face her soon."

  "It strikes fear! Who is going to mess with you here if everyone thinks you are her hidden son. She is well respected here. It was the fact that you showed such incredible strength that they even gave you the honor of being her son." Torben insisted. "It is a great weapon! A great honor!"

  Li Yu stood up and went walking to the window. He looked out at the snowy courtyard. He could see disciples sparring below. He could hear some of them shouting.

  "We are the Crab Claws!" One young disciple yelled while striking a dummy.

  Li Yu sighed but a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  "It's ridiculous," Li Yu said.

  "It's hope," Krell said softly. "They were terrified of the Ghosts. They thought they were being hunted by something they couldn't fight. You showed them that the monsters can die. You turned a horror story into a victory."

  “Krell is correct. You defeated a new enemy that had people worried. They don’t know that an even worse threat lies out there. However, Thyra is right not to release that information to those below a certain power. They would be powerless to stop it anyways.” Torben added.

  “You are both right. A few strange rumors about me doesn’t diminish the hope and relief it gives to others.” Li Yu said to them.