CHPT 215: Cold and Unforgiving
Running.
He was in a forest running. He passed tree after tree after tree, but he never progressed. He passed the same scorched collection of bushes, the same burnt trees and moon that stayed overhead like the peeking eyeball of a planetary god that watched him intently.
The eye watched him from above as he ran through the forest, blanketed by his cruel and unforgiving dark flames. They bit and snapped at the trees and grass beneath his bare feet. And he was forever stuck in the center, breathing in the smoky thin air and stepping on the burning embers of grass. Yet, he kept moving for one reason.
They would catch him if he stopped.
Every few seconds, he'd remember again that the forest never changed despite how hard he ran. Then he'd hear them. First their snarls and huffs with every large heap and step they made. Then their paws stomping through the flames and their frothy saliva hitting the ground where it sizzled eternally like water dripping into a flaming skillet.
The last sound always made him spin around in search of the source. And there they were.
The lithe and furry form of Aiko with her needle-like claws as she jumped from tree to tree like a hellishly twisted monkey. Below her Dier stomped through the flaming mess in his true and brutishly massive form. Sparks of flame splashed on his fur and did nothing more than tickle the monstrosity. Next to him at the front, Dolion jogged on two feet. He fought and roared to keep his hideous Lupine form beneath the surface. But every flame that hit him ripped away his flesh causing him to engage in a forever losing battle mid run.
Every time he located the pursuing Lupines, sounds to his left would cause him to look over and see the others.
To his left, behind the repeatedly flashing blur of burning trees, an all black Lupine missing an ear ran through the forest on two feet unlike the rest. Jack.
Beside him, a large golden Lupine on all fours ran slightly ahead like a dog leading his master on a run. It was him.
They all ran after him— even himself, reaching for him with outstretched hands that always felt like they were getting closer. They were getting closer.
That's why his dream— nightmare was so horrible. He ran for his life— yet made no progress, while his pursuers slowly inched closer and closer.
He could do nothing but watch as they reached him. As his monstrous self dashed through the trees and ran its sickle-clawed hands through his heart.
It seemed his nightmare could care less about realism because despite being ran through, he could feel the other Lupines fighting each-other as they tore away at his scalp to reach his brain.
The last thing he saw was Dolion standing over him while the others ate away at his brain.
"You are more Lupine than Human, Samuel."
CRUNCH!
***
"NAAAAGH!" Samuel woke up with a start.
Beads of cold sweat trailed down his body following the indented contours of his muscles like they were a roadmap. The air smelled burnt and full of moisture, the first smell immediately reminded him of what transpired earlier.
He killed a man. He felt nothing. If anything he was mad that an old brute could draw so much out of him. He was more than that. Next time he'd do better, because next time he wouldn't forget that they'd have to die for him to reach Claude.
"Bastard…." He murmured as he got up.
"Your mouth is just as vulgar as that oily vermin, Jack."
Samuel spun around and came face to chest with Dier, The Beast.
He was so caught off guard that he froze for a moment in terror since they never spoke before. Only fought.
Before he could speak, Dier cut in.
"Dolion wants you to clean up at the river, we're leaving soon."
Samuel practically jumped out of his skin, "Are we going back to SkyHaven?"
"No, boy. We're going to a much better place. A place of mystical proportion. You're going to see your God. You will be meeting our Lord, Remus." Dier replied, sounding almost like a religious maniac as he continued.
Samuel froze, "W-wait…..the s-same Remus who created you all?"
Dier lunged at him, stopping merely inches from his face and smelling of scorching hot fury, "He created you as well. Don't ever forget the gift you've been given!"
Samuel loosened from his previously flinching pose, "R-right. Forgive me."
VWOOMP!
"Oi Dier! Ease up you dread headed nutcase!"
Samuel turned around just in time to see Jack enter the Deviant, chewing on a finger as if it were an undersized chicken wing. Dolion followed behind him looking as gloomy as ever.
"I won't tolerate any disrespect sent to our Lord, and I hope your crass nature will be put on a muzzle when we arrive." Dier said.
"Easy Dier." Dolion said, followed by The Beast bowing to Samuel and leaving with a final message.
"You better not get yourself killed, Samuel. You're no longer just the rich boy that can further our plans. You've shown your power. I can see your fire even now. Don't let it fade. I wait patiently for the day when your fire can test the will of my earth."
He left after his message.
Before Samuel could recover, the smell of death, predatory musk and excitement filled his nose.
"Heya blondy! Clean yourself up and prepare to see a new world. We ride at dawn hahahahah….." Jack said before following Dolion's trail.
"It's quite literally always night here, Jack." Dolion stated from behind.
"Sometimes you're no fun boss."
"Fuck fun. Samuel, go get ready or I'll have Aiko drown you." Dolion said in the same casual tone someone would use when stating the weather.
Samuel broke off into a sprint for the river in the forest and entered the icy waters with the other Lupines in a rush to clean himself.
The naked men and women in human form still snarled and snapped at him, but there was something else in their eyes now. Interest.
***
The pack of Lupines— now cleaned and completely transformed followed behind Dolion and his hitmen towards the edge of the clearing at a calm yet purposeful pace.
Jack walked in his human form at the back of the line, he held the golden scruff of Samuel's neck in his right hand as he dragged him along in a dehumanizing manner. Samuel wanted nothing more than to bite the man's fingers off for treating him as if he were a puppy, but that would warrant death. He'd have to swallow his pride.
A task made easier by the electric blue glow of the Deviant exit glowing into existence ahead.
He wanted nothing more than to exit and taste fresh endless air. He could feel himself pulling against Jack's grip like an excited dog on a leash.
It felt like forever before they were at the exit. Jack only had one word of advice before they stepped through the portal between locations and worlds apart.
"Brace yourself, Sammy boy. Where we're going— even Bears born of ice get cold."
VWOOMP!
In an instant, Samuel stepped from the temperate climate of the ever changing green forest, into an unforgivingly cold expanse of white.
The wind howled a sound of pure wildness, suffering and survival that could only be understood by those who'd spent a lifetime roaming the icy tundra.
In the distance Samuel could hear the cries of animals, behind the jutting peaks of snowy mountains or across the cracking stretches of frozen lakes. On each side of them, sky-scraping evergreen trees collected the falling snow that swayed and swooshed in response to the harsh winds that ruffled the Lupines' thick wolven coats.
The early morning sun looked otherworldly to him after spending such a long time away from it. He couldn't help but force himself to look at the enlightened sky even as he squinted from its rays bouncing off the ice and snowy floor that threatened to blind him.
He took in a deep breath. The cold seared the insides of his nostrils and fed him scents of cold earth mixed with something else. Something magical.
Beneath the cloak of ice, the entire place was magical. He could feel it, making his fur stand on end like he was about to be blasted by lightning.
Jack inhaled next to him, reminding the Lupine of his presence.
"Ahhhhh yes. Samuel, welcome to Islandia."
Islandia, Old World Russia. Samuel never thought he'd find himself in the icy tundra of such a place so soon. Nothing he read could've helped him to imagine such a place. It was unfathomable.
"Follow." Dolion said back to them before restarting his walk down the snowy path— still shirtless and wearing only pants.
Jack pulled at Samuel, "Come on blondy. Our Lord awaits."
They walked for half a mile, passing slopes of snow and the frozen remains of corpses. The walk was only stopped after Samuel tripped over a giant crack in the ground.
He scrambled back up onto all fours and looked back to see a giant crack in the snowy floor. The crack wasn't large but it's depth felt intense, like looking over a cliff in the dark of night. He couldn't see the bottom, but he could feel that it would take forever to reach it.
The ground around the open wound in the earth steamed and caused the icy snow to glow an intense shade of blue. It smelled of Magic.
Jack stood beside him, watching as he sniffed and scratched at the ground around the crack.
"The Permafrost. In the Old World it was simply some ice cold soil. Now it houses predatory Magic and builds while the icy soil freezes and encases it for years. Over time it grows until it BURSTS!" He said, ending his lesson in a shout before continuing.
"Those Permafrost magical bursts are called Wild Fissures. When it happens, the juicy succulent Magic explodes from the icy ground below like a geyser! In the right areas, animals of the wild feed on the Magic that spills from the fissures and become more than they once were. Sometimes, the earth is frozen so hard that it holds Magic for decades, then it explodes making a; Wild Rift. Animals that feed from those gain the power to level villages. Neat huh??" Jack said.
Samuel sneezed.
"Damn straight Sammy boy! Let's move."
They walked for another mile in peace before Samuel felt like he entered something. The area was the same, but it felt like he was in a new world entirely. The natural Magic of Islandia was instantly dwarfed in comparison.
Samuel looked ahead and found Dolion and his hitmen turning for the first time.
The trees and mountains that lined their path ended where they turned left and headed down somewhere deeper. Something was there.
He followed, getting closer and closer until he could hear movement. More air, no longer absorbed by the walls of the mountains beside them. He could smell the Magic and fur of many to the point of confusion.
All he could do was round the corner and take in the sight of what he previously smelled.
So he did. After a minute of walking, the walls of trees and mountains on each side of him disappeared and gave way to an icy white glade.
What occupied the clearing left him speechless.
Hundreds of Lupines roamed the snow biome, some in Lupine form and others in human, leading giant Wolves on chain leashes that glowed with an odd power.
He sniffed at them, finding they smelled like Wolf, but also like something else.
"WereWolves." Jack said with disgust, "They make great guard dogs."
Samuel watched them move for a while longer before movement to his left drew his attention. A large cluster of Lupines crouched in a bow to something with immense respect. That's when he saw it. He couldn't believe he missed it.
Af the edge of the cliff they all stood on. A castle stood out against the white snow like a flame in a midnight snowstorm. It had peaks and points that looked like they could cut the clouds. Dozens of doorless rooms and corridors were gone to shadows of impossible blackness. At its edges, winged Vampires sat like gargoyles patiently in wait. Still, it looked abandoned, but it's presence threatened to take the wind from his lungs. The shining light of the sun beamed from behind the tips of the mountains and reflected off of the castle in an odd way— causing him to study its surface.
The entire castle looked like it was crafted from black ice. Smooth and reflective, yet hard and cold looking.
Lupines everywhere, leading WereWolves like they were attack dogs. All bowing in front of a castle somehow made of Ice with Vampires sitting atop its ledges as undead Guards. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"Samuel. Welcome to the Den of Remus and his progeny, NoxIce Keep."