Derlton was a simple man despite everything that tested him. He farmed, hated monsters or pests that invaded his land, and loved his small family more than anything. The last two fed into one another and produced his sour mood, which made his strikes against the logs for firewood much more forceful than necessary. Anklebiters had invaded, and had already left him with only a fourth of his monthly income from the repairs to his farm shed alone. There were many pests in the frontier, and as far as Derlton was concerned, Anklebiters were by far the worst of the lot. Their skin was a yellow that bordered on a golden hue, barely tall enough to nip at the top of your ankle in such a way to earn their name, and poisonous to all but the most hardy of individuals. Hard to catch, impossible to eat, and a pain to deal with were a combination of traits that made these the second worst pest on the frontier. He hoped they would one day be classified as beasts or monsters so some adventurers would come and slay them by the dozen. They loved to wreck anything they came across, a fate that befell the shed, no matter how big or small. Even other wildlife had not been spared, as they had started ruining the bee hives that were near his crops which helped pollinate them. He tried to help all he could, but there were so many of them and he couldn't be everywhere at once. There was a single hive remaining, and even with all of the traps he set the cunning twerps would most likely find a way past them to wreck the final hive as well.

He spoke to himself quietly, somberly with a fact he found hard to face.

"At this rate we might need to move."

He knew it was inevitable, of course, the frontier had been getting more dangerous by the month with no signs of abating. If it wasn't Anklebiters an actual monster, as classified by the guild coalition, would come along and destroy all he had worked to build if it didn't kill him first. He knew this well enough, but it was a nasty meal to taste. It would be hard for anyone to accept they couldn't live in a place they had been calling home for over two decades. Even if it was only for a few months more, he would stand his ground against these creatures. He wasn't a fool though, as soon as his family was at risk, he would pack up his things and head westward. While the land may not be as cheap when compared to the frontier, the outer territories were much safer to live in. He would even be able to hire low level adventurers or mecernaries to handle pests like Anklebiters.

"Skritskritskrit chicka"

Now there were 4 more Anklebiters, nipping and shredding a piece of his fence. It wasn't even to get through, there was plenty of space for them to do so; it was just plain malice. Malice that made his blood boil, and whispered sweet words of harm against the pests to him. Believing now to be a good time to listen to these words, pulling out what one could describe as a flintlock. It had glass encassing a light blue crystal placed much like a magazine and a copper rod for the barrel. He started to hold his finger down against a rune on the small wooden piece connecting the two objects.

Fwoosh

A mass of near liquid gas that was cold like ice and white like snow, coiled around the copper before settling, the energy having obstructed the entire copper rod. The Anklebiters looked at the man, still as if they had been paused in time. Derlton simply smiled, and removed his finger from the rune.

Fast as rain in a thunderstorm, the now stagnant gas rushed forward, solidifying into an icicle the moment it left the copper, and pierced the chest of the largest Anklebiter. Small crystals from the ice and green ichor pushed out of the creature's back as the object impaled it; this caused the once chittering nuisance to crumple limply where it stood. The others ran, fleeing for their lives. They headed straight towards the edge of the farm, where the last beehive had been.

"Well, I'm not running after them. Just gotta hope the traps work I guess."

His energy nearly gone, the man strode back into the house. Into the loving embraces of his family that he would do anything for.