Cryo Knight

by Tim Johnson

  The old mare clopped along, near blind and unconcerned as they went deeper and deeper into the mountains. Alexia trotted in front and Sulfur behind them. Christian could feel Sulfur’s eyes on them all the time, as if he somehow knew about their midnight chats. He doesn’t trust us one bit.

  Soon the gray mountains soared up on either side and they were forced to ride five or six abreast in a tight valley. It was here Christian realized he was lucky to be mounted, even if his horse was old. The path was uneven, and the slate ground shifted, which made walking hard going. It was also the perfect choke point. He automatically scanned the mountains above, looking for snipers. As a special forces soldier, he had always been the one outnumbered, the one sent the furthest to the places with the least hope. He would never lose the habit of assessing every place he was in, even now as part of this great moving procession.

  This might be my only chance, he realized, to see how Sark’s men fight as an army. It was entirely possible, if Sark was successful on this mission, the next time all these soldiers would be together would be to invade Earth. This was Christian’s moment to learn as much as he could; to watch, to understand and to find their weaknesses.

  Amidst the lurching procession of men and mythical beasts he couldn’t help but feel insignificant. His mission, impossible.

  He had to fight those doubts and beat them down. He was an operative and he needed to think like one. He focused on what he could do.

  Get the Astral Diamond, create the Golden Shears and free the witch, he told himself. Then, she fixes the portal stones, we find my uncle, and perhaps by now he’s figured out a way for us all to get out of here. Perhaps there would be no need to fight this army. We all go home and close the portal behind us.

  It could be as simple as that. But Christian doubted it.

  The valley opened up before them, from a tight pass to a huge bowl, miles wide, ringed by the mountain range on all sides.

  Christian sidled his horse up next to Alexia’s as they rode through. The bowl had been made into a vast sprawling camp as big as a city, with tents, fires, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers as far as the eye could see. In the distance he could see a troop of armored elephants, and nearby someone had made the effort to armor and train a pack of those evil giant beavers.

  Then he saw the gates.

  Two huge stone pillars shot into the air like skyscrapers. Between them at equal height soared a stone door. The door’s length rippled with energy. Halfway down the door was a set of three moving gigantic circular dials, etched with patterns. From the center of these moving disks a beam of white light traced its way to a platform. In the distance were figures huddled around a contraption that seemed to be sending the white light beam up to the great cavern door.

  Every few moments the dials twisted, making a huge clank sound that echoed across the valley.

  Christian watched Alexia take it all in.

  “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen,” Alexia said in awe.

  Behind them Sulfur barked out, “Move on up ahead, by the platform. I need to be at the front when we go through, not behind a herd of bloody elephants.”

  Christian urged his mare onwards and they trekked through the camp towards a wooden platform. As they closed in, the details of the platform became clear; it was wide, packed with twenty or so people.

  Christian could see a group of Sark’s mages channeling their mana into a spinning silver ball which powered some kind of laser, sending the bright beam up into the dial on the door.

  Then he saw something else.

  Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.

  Alexia saw it the same time as he did.

  Next to Sark’s mages was the dirty crate. So out of place, Christian didn’t seem to recognize it before he saw the sparkling chain looped on the outside.

  “She’s here,” Alexia whispered.

  They’ve brought the damn witch here.

  Sulfur pushed his stallion ahead, and together they made their way towards the platform. Up close, the beam was so bright Christian couldn’t stare directly at it, even squinting, but Sark’s armor still sucked in the light and stayed a deep matt black. Sark’s eyes were drawn to the mana stream.

  He held the Astral Diamond. It shone like a tiny sun, energized by the blaze of mana all around. Sark raised it high and stepped towards the strange spinning machine in the center of the platform.

  “Bring her out,” he said to Sulfur.

  The fellow mages stood still as statues, their cloaks billowing from the energy that poured from their hands. The seven were a mix of men and women; the oldest in their seventies, the youngest a lady perhaps in her fifties, her red hair streaked through with gray.

  “Mana,” the redhead gasped.

  An assistant unscrewed a glowing blue potion. With a trembling free hand, the mage brought it to her lips and drank it down.

  Another great clang rang out from the massive stone door as the dial turned another notch.

  Sark gave Christian and Alexia a small smile. “Wanderers. Legends say Arnook almost brought our world to its knees. The door has been locked for as long as anyone can remember by your kind. The key to open it a myth. But I found it. The Astral Diamond was the final piece.”

  Sulfur gripped Christian by the armor and shoved him towards the witch’s crate.

  “Get her out,” Sulfur barked, while carefully unwrapping the chain. He backed away, pulling the chain taut.

  Christian stood in front of the crate, the reek of urine thick in the air as he pulled out the pegs and the front banged open, exposing the witch who hissed at them.

  “Witch if you try anything,” Sulfur warned, “I swear to the gods I’ll cut you down.”

  The witch shuffled out, her black matted hair falling over her mutilated face. Her hands were in front of her, bound with a dirty rope.

  Christian could sense the atmosphere turn tense. The other mages shifted uneasily as they made space for her in their circle.

  They all fear her.

  But not Sark. He stepped forward and raised the Astral Diamond above the spinning machine. “Channel your mana into the key, witch.”

  The witch shuffled ahead for a moment before her eyes found Christian’s. She looked from him to the Astral Diamond and then back to him again.

  I know what it is, he thought.

  Then she pushed her hands out and closed her eyes. Mana flew from her palms, a white beam of light joining the rest. Immediately the great gears on the building-sized door clanked again, the sound ringing out like a thunderclap across the valley. Then again, and again. It sounded like a great god was pounding a hammer on iron.

  The beam seemed to have doubled in thickness since the witch had joined the ranks of mages.

  Sark neared the machine, his face lit up bright, and he lifted the Astral Diamond. He pushed it into the accelerator machine with a click. Immediately the machine spun faster, and the beam got thicker still. The dials on the door began to spin with booming clicks, so loud Christian could feel it in his bones. The dials spun, back and forth, spinning like a triple combination lock.

  Finally, the symbols on each side of the combination all matched.

  Then a great boom echoed across the canyon. The dials fell, crashing to the ground with an eruption of dust.

  The beam stopped. Then the great doors began to grind open, pushing debris out the way, opening the mouth of a huge dark cavern. A great gasping sigh emitted like a dead man’s last breath.

  The sound sent a shiver down Christian’s spine.

  Sark stared at the entrance, his eyes burning with ambition. It seemed like everything else had been forgotten.

  There was a moment of sacred hush across the entire army as every man, woman and beast watched the spectacle, rapt.

  That was until the witch threw herself at the machine. Her body crashed into it and smashed it to pieces. She sent the delicate dials spinning all over the floor.

  Sulfur yanked her back on the leash like an errant
dog.

  Christian saw her push something under her cloak.

  She’s done it.

  Alexia and Christian shared a glance. Alexia feigned calm, but the flash of her dark eyes showed her excitement.

  Sark turned back to face the witch. The witch was low in a loaded crouch and hissed up at him.

  Sark shook his head in disgust. “Your use runs out a little more each day, witch. Sulfur, secure her.”

  Sulfur went to yank her back again, but the witch resisted.

  Christian moved fast as he could. “Obey your master, hag!”

  He moved forward to grab her, but the witch struck him with a hearty whack around his face that took of a point of health.

  Christian slapped her back and took control of her wrists and gripped the witch by the scruff of her neck. He marched her back into the crate, shoving her head down into the box deep into the shadow. As he did, he felt her bound hands push something into his chest.

  He didn’t need to look down to know what it was. The crazy weight of the Astral Diamond nearly caught him off-guard, but with the speedy snatch of a quarterback he pressed it to his chest before placing it in his Inventory. It was done in a second. Hands free again, he backed away. The witch pretended to fight him once more. Christian made a show of shoving her as hard as he could to the back of the crate, just to make it look as real as possible.

  Christian retreated from the crate, with his hand pressed against his face against the smell. He lifted the gate to the witch’s crate, nodding at the soldier behind Sulfur to secure the pin.

  The soldier did so, and with that the witch was secured, the Astral Diamond was in his Inventory and the pantomime was over.

  You must be ready for the opportunity.

  Christian turned to see every face on the podium looking at him. He made a show of wiping his dirty hands on his armor, pulling a sour face before giving a curt nod to Sulfur. The image of an obedient soldier.

  Sulfur gave Christian a long look but said nothing and wrapped the chain around the crate.

  For a moment there was silence.

  Then Sark moved from the platform. “We march!”

  With that the whole place erupted into preparation.

  One of Sark’s massive Road Breaker stallions was brought forward and Sark climbed up it with a smooth athletic movement.

  “You two, follow me,” Sulfur muttered. Sulfur mounted his own stallion. He shouted for Christian and Alexia to do the same.

  Within a few moments, Christian and Alexia were mounted and riding towards the empty mouth of the colossal dungeon at the head of the procession, directly behind Sark and Sulfur.

  Christian turned to see Sark’s men loading the witch onto a carriage, likely taking her back to the fortress. Beyond, the makeshift city began to form a procession as the army organized to move.

  Ahead, the gates towered up into the sky like twin skyscrapers.

  Sulfur’s soldiers were all around them. There was no escape. Nowhere to go but forward.

  Christian pressed his heels into his old mare.

  Ahead was darkness; he could see the path past the gates slope downwards into the black.

  Into the belly of the beast I go, he thought.

  Christian turned to look at Alexia and she gave him a nod.

  But not alone and not without the diamond.

  18

  The dungeon air was stale, hot and got hotter the farther down they went. Great glowing veins of lava-like rock ran through the sides of the cavern, lighting their way. Christian and Alexia rode together. Sulfur was riding up with Sark; his bodyguards and a few other elite fighters had pushed ahead to join them. Sark led from the front. Christian respected that; many leaders wouldn’t risk themselves.

  But this is Valeria and Sark is the most powerful of all his people. He’s not a regular human.

  Sark’s Road Breaker stallion was massive, near twice the size of a regular horse, with sharp teeth and red eyes. Its armor moved from side to side as it clopped ahead into the gloomy tunnel. Christian had to continually spur his old mare to keep up with their pace.

  Behind them the entire army rolled in, slowly following them down.

  What kind of a battle are we expecting? Or is this all just a show of force?

  The Astral Diamond weighed heavy in Christian’s Inventory. But he had managed to get it. The witch had done well. She had shown initiative and together they had worked as a team.

  Now all we have left to collect is a gold bar and some regular shears. We are getting closer.

  The plan of how they could actually free the witch from the dungeon would have to wait but having the Golden Shears – an item that could cut through anything – would certainly help.

  Along the length of the dungeon corridor were shrines. For a moment their large arched indentions made them look like the gates to side tunnels, but thick cobwebs covered them and at the foot of each one were piled skulls, candles, carvings and rusted weapons.

  Some kind of demonic worship shrines.

  Far in the distance came a grating growl, so deep it sounded at first like the booming clicks from the door dial, deep enough that Christian could feel it in his gut. Whatever was down here, it was now awake. Then the sound stopped.

  An uneasiness swept through Christian, but he tried to ignore it. His habit was to focus on the mission ahead, but that line of thinking caught him too.

  Sark is waking a demon meant to destroy our world and here we are riding behind him.

  Christian stared at the back of Sark’s head. If there was just a way to kill him.

  It was useless though, Christian knew that. Even as he looked at Sark the little gold information tag said, ‘Level 50’, seeming to mock him with each rock and bob of Sark’s head.

  Running Alexia’s math, it would mean Sark’s health would be in the thousands. His Strength could be more than five times Christian’s, and Sarks deadliest soldiers surrounded them.

  He and Alexia were trapped here.

  As his thoughts turned to Alexia, she sidled up next to him. She gave him a small nod.

  “Good work back there,” she said.

  “Yeah, that damn witch,” Christian said. “Stronger than she looks.”

  “Sure,” Alexia said. “Faster too.”

  She knows we have the Astral Diamond.

  Alexia looked up at the lava around them. “This is a fresh dungeon. Know what that means?”

  “Doesn’t smell fresh to me.”

  “Fresh as in un-raided. Dungeons regenerate in both treasure and creatures so this will be full of both. There isn’t a better chance for us to get our hands on gold.”

  Alexia carefully pulled her horse a little closer to Christian’s. She leaned over and spoke quietly. “You’re not the only one with fast hands, Christian. I’ve got eight valuable gems from the Goblin Lord’s inner sanctum in my Inventory that we can sell for gold. We need enough to purchase a Gold Ingot – that’s worth 1000 gold. We have a way to go but it’s a start.”

  Just then Sark raised a fist and the procession lurched to a stop.

  They were sat squarely between two of the shrines. The uneasiness settled

  back into Christian’s stomach, his old soldier instincts called out to him. Deep down he could feel the old warning signs again. The same feeling when he was in his uncle’s house.

  Something is wrong.

  Without thinking, he pulled his sword from his scabbard. Alexia followed suit and nocked an arrow in her bow.

  “What do you see?” she asked.

  A tiny movement caught Christian’s eye. A cobweb on the shrine was blowing, like air was coming from the sealed cavern wall behind.

  But it’s supposed to be solid rock.

  “Alexia, the shrine.” He pulled on his mana and the Frost Bolt began to form in his palm.

  His mare whinnied beneath him and he pulled her round to face the shrine.

  Then the bright orange magma vein in the wall moved down, a vein that guided it
towards the shrine.

  Sark’s soldiers looked up and side to side, and murmured as the magma shifted to frame the shrine which began to glow bright and hot. Christian could feel the heat of it warm his face.

  “Arm yourselves!” Sark shouted from ahead.

  All around, soldiers drew their weapons and mages grew barriers from their palms. Christian heard a chorus of shrill screams that were coming from beyond the shrine in the walls. For a moment there was pure silence, where he could hear his own heart pound in his ears and the tiniest tingle of the ice forming in his palm.

  For a heartbeat time slowed down.

  Then the shrines surrounding them exploded. Animated corpses of soldiers burst through, like they had jumped straight out of hell, bringing flames and fire with them. The first flew with a loud shriek. It was a skeleton, one arm a stump, but in the second arm was a large ax.

  It looked up at Christian and let out another shrill scream as the gold writing above the head unfurled: Level 3 Undead Ward.

  Christian unleashed his Frost Bolt at it, point-blank, sending the monster flying back, but another enemy warrior took its place. This one fresher, with half its face rotting and the inside of its exposed skull lit by flame.

  Hundreds of the undead were pouring out of the tunnel walls on each side of Sark’s forces. Their movements were erratic, like they were a collection of puppets.

  Christian hacked down, catching one full in the face, and kicked his old mare amongst them. Alexia unloaded her arrow, sending an explosive shot into the chest plate of another.

  More of the undead poured from the gates, the flames flicking out as each one jumped into the fray.

  Christian used Ice Strike on a level 5 Undead Ward, pushing it into Alexia’s range, who shot it. He was rewarded with the words Level Up! Congratulations you are level 8! and New skill unlocked: Yeti Headbutt.

  He had no time to savor it.

  No matter how many they killed, double that number swelled the enemy ranks.

  We need to change tactics.

  “Alexia, fall back!”

  Christian rounded his , bringing it round to be next to Alexia. On each side were Sark’s best warriors, and Christian and Alexia fell into their ranks, fending off attack after attack.