Frigid Warfare

OKronos shivered as the cold of the frigid cavern engulfed him. He brought up the rear in the single-file line who walked through the narrow passage. Thora led the way along the winding path, the only one unaffected by the cold that ks to her Augar heritage. Kronos rubbed his arms, wishing he was wearing thicker clothes instead of his regular attire. No one spoke in fear of drawing unwanted attention towards them. They stopped when they came to a wide-open space with three paths in front of them.

“ Which way should we go?” Arai asked. Thora didn’t answer at first; she just closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, they looked completely different. The whites of her eyes had turned into a light green color that glowed. The Iris turned a dark purple, and the Sclera had become a crimson red. Glowing silver spirals markings appeared on her arms, neck, face, and torso

“ That’s the Kumoijin, the Tribal Trait of the Augar Giant Tribe,” Acacius remarked.

“ I’ve heard tale about it's second to none tracking ability,” Kronos remarked. Thora looked at each of the paths for a few moments before looking back at them.

“ There are fresh boot prints in each path. Looks like this guy's forces decided to split up. I'm sure they soon realized what a terrible idea that is.”

“ Why is that?” Arai asked.

“ Some of the fiercest creatures that call Ocrad home reside in these icy caverns. They are the guardians of my people. Our earliest ancestors made a pact with the creatures that call this land home. They guard our tribes, and in turn, we do not stand in their way of devouring those who lose their way,” Thora said. “ One of the abilities of my Tribal Trait allows me to form contracts with the creatures of the land.”

“ So, does that mean they will leave us alone because we’re with you?” Kronos asked. Thora shook her head.

“ No, the opposite. This is not my home tribe; none of the beasts we encounter here will not heed my words. No doubt they already have pacts with the giants from the Azvar tribe. I won’t be able to communicate with them.They will see me being here as a great insult.Thora replied.

“ Why would they view you with hostility?” Acacius asked. “ You may not be from the village but surely-”

“Drop it!” Thora yelled, giving him a death glare. “ We’ll take the middle path. If any of you fall behind, you’re on your own.”

“ Shouldn’t we split up?” Acacius asked, earning him another glare from Thora. “ If you want to die, go ahead and be my guest. If you aren’t devoured, you’ll meet your end by a soldier’s sword. No, we’ll stick together. The middle path is the one that eventually leads you to the Azvar Tribe. If the fools who took the left and right paths are still alive, they won’t be for much longer.” With that, Thora started to lead the way. Despite a few misgivings, Kronos once again brought up the rear.

No one said anything as they followed Thora through the winding, icy corridor. The temperatures were frigid, causing Kronos’s teeth to chatter and his breath to steam. As they continued to walk, the hair’s on the back of Kronos’s neck began to stand. Why do I feel as though I’m being watched? In front of him, Arai suddenly stopped and stiffened. Before Kronos could ask her why she had stopped, she whirled around and hurled a spear made of earth from her palm at Kronos. The young Half-Breed yelped and moved his head to the left while ducking, hearing an odd gurgling behind him.

“ Arai! By the gods, what was that for?! Have you taken leave of your senses?!” He demanded.

“ Look behind you,” she responded coldly. Tentatively Kronos did as she said and found himself looking at a dead man. He wore pale blue heavy armor, hood, and mask. Dust and cinders! I didn’t even sense him! Where did he come from?!

The shoulders were oval, relatively short, and quite large. They were decorated with layered pieces of curved metal, starting at the inner sides and curving outwards. The upper arms were protected by pointed, layered metal rerebraces, which sat nicely under the shoulder plates. Vambraces covered the lower arms with a row of hook-like barbs attached to each outer side.

The breastplate was made from many layers of smaller metal pieces, mimicking the scales of a fish. It covered almost everything from the neck down and ending at the groin, but the sides are only covered near the bottom. Pointed, layered metal cuisses wrapped the upper legs. Greaves protected the lower legs with a row of hook-like barbs attached to each outer side.

“ I didn’t even notice him,” Kronos whispered, looking back at Arai. “ Thank you.”

“ Don’t worry about it,” Arai told him. It was only then Kronos noticed her eyes were different. The white of her eyes had turned silver. The Sclera had turned a dark blue, and the Iris was a lavender color. Dark blue concentric circles covered the eyeball.

“ Your Tribal Trait, I take it,” Kronos said. Arai nodded and looked back at Acacius and Thora, who had stopped due to the commotion.

“ It’s known as the Hikarijin; I decided it would be best to activate it when we started down this path, just in case. One of the abilities it grants me is it allows me to see when somebody is about to die.”

“ Wait, so that means,” Kronos started feeling his mouth go dry. He swallowed and tried again. “ You saved my life. I owe you.”

“ I only did what you would have done for me,” Arai said.

“ How did he elude my Kumoijin?!” Thora demanded. “ I should have been able to see him!”

“ Hold on,” Acacius said, kneeling next to the dead body. After a few moments of examination, he stood up and looked back towards the others.

“ I’ve seen this kind of armor before when I was a Palace Guard. It’s a gift to the elites of the Ishtar Dynasty from the Naga. It allows whoever wears it to be completely hidden; no Tribal Trait can see them. It also allows them to blend in with their environment.”

“ So, how do we know there aren’t others like this one waiting to strike us down?” Kronos asked. Acacius looked around, unease creeping across his face.

“ We don’t,” he said.

“ Just when I thought this mission couldn’t get any more hopeless,” Thora grumbled.

“ We can’t stand around here. We need to keep moving,” Acacius told her, activating his Ryuijin. Kronos followed suit and looked around. The fact he saw no one else chilled him to the bone. He could imagine being stared at by an enemy warrior, waiting for the perfect time to strike, knowing Kronos would never see it coming.

“ We need to form a plan before we proceed,” Arai protested. She then looked at Kronos. With a start, Kronos realized that Acacius and even Thora were as well.

“ What?“ he asked.

“ What’s the plan, brother? Surely you have something,” Acacius said, folding his arms.

“ Why ask me?!” Kronos asked.

“ It was your idea that got us past that ambush,” Thora said. “ Don’t tell us you're out of tricks.” Kronos furrowed his brow and forced himself to think.

“ Okay, I’ve got an idea,” he said slowly. The four resumed walking shortly after. The group walked along the path without saying a word, the tension weighing in the air. Despite the cold, Kronos was sweating nervously. He could only hope the plan he had come up with would work.

He stayed silent as they reached another wide-open area with no signs anyone had been through there. There was only one icy passageway at the other side of the open space. The sun was peering in through a crack in the ceiling of the cavern. There are too many unknown variables! If only I knew more about my enemy, I could-

“ Kronos!” He heard Arai shout. Wasting no time to look around as the group reached out to grab him. In the blink of an eye, the group vanished and reappeared in the entranceway. A soldier was standing where they had been just a second ago, looking bewildered, bronze saber drawn. Before he could say anything, Thora used another of her Tribal Trait’s abilities. Her eyes flashed, and her body began to glow silver. She extended a hand, and an arm with a hand at the end made entirely out of Mana rushed at the soldier and grabbed him. With a snarl, Thora used this hand to crush him like a bug.

Kronos heaved a sigh of relief as Thora deactivated her Kumoijin. “ I wasn’t sure that would work,” he said. In truth, Kronos had just been throwing uncooked noodles at the wall in the hopes something would stick. The plan he had come up with was that Arai would keep her Hikarijin activated and serve as sentry. As they walked along the long, singular winding pathway, Kronos would leave Mana Runes on the walls. When Arai sounded the alarm, the three of them would grab Kronos, who would teleport the group to a Mana Rune in the blink of an eye where Acacius or Thora would kill the enemy.

“ See anyone else?” Kronos asked Arai, who shook her head. Kronos heaved a sigh of relief. So far, so good. Of course, there were a couple of things that could spell disaster for the plan. Arai wouldn’t be able to keep their Tribal Trait active forever. If left active for too long, an Abnormal would go blind and then go mad over three days before dying. If that wasn’t worrying enough, just teleporting himself cost Kronos a decent amount of Mana. Teleporting three more people as well would drain him faster.

The four of them regrouped quickly and went on their way. The path they were navigating soon grew more treacherous. The group climbed over ledges and carefully avoided falling into crevices as the trail became steeper regardless of whether they walked up or downhill. When they didn’t have to brave the elements, they were narrowly fending off opposing soldiers.

Kronos fell on his knees, gasping after the group had fended off another ambush. He felt his stomach lurch and he vomited. Sweat formed on his forehead, his arms shaking. He felt as though he hadn’t drank or eaten anything for days, a sign he was running low on Mana.

“ You okay?” Arai asked. Kronos looked up at her and saw she was looking pale. She’s starting to feel the strain as well.

“ I’ll be fine,” he said, wiping his mouth. He forced himself to his feet but swayed. Arai caught him by the arm and shook her head.

“ You’re not fine, Kronos. Do you even have it in you to teleport us anymore?” Kronos wanted to assure them that he could keep going, that they could rely on him, that no matter what, he wouldn't let them down. But when he looked in her eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to lie.

“ I can do it one more time, but if I do, I’m going to be dead weight for a while,” he confessed. Arai helped him sit down against a pillar of ice and stood up. Her eyes flashed and a cloth soaked on cold winter appeared in her left hand. She knelt down and flawed the cloth on his forehead.

“ So it’s true. Your Tribal Trait can create things out of nothing,” Acacius said, amazed. Arai gave him a small smile.

“ It’s a little more complicated than that. I can conjure whatever I imagine into reality, as long as I can visualize it.”

“ I don’t suppose it can find us a way out of here and a way to escape our imprisonment,” Thora joked. Arai chuckled and shook her head

“ Believe me, if it could, we would be out of here by now,” she said. “ But we can rest here for a while. Kronos needs a break.”

“ I’m fine,” Kronos weakly protested.

“ You are not!” Arai snapped at him. “ Now be quiet and rest up.” Sensing this was an argument he was not going to win, Kronos sighed and leaned back against the pillar. Acacius and Thora began to relax as well, seeing they wouldn't be moving for a while.

“ Hey Thora, I have a question,” Acacius said.

“ What is it?” Thora asked, eyeing him cautiously.

“ Are you hiding something from us?” Acacius asked, narrowing his eyes.

“ Where do you get that idea?” Thora hissed, light blue energy beginning to make her left hand glow bright.

“ Every time I’ve asked about possible aid from the other giant villages you’ve responded in anger. I’m no fool Thora, I know those with Augar Giant heritage are welcome in any village belonging to the tribe, with an exception for S-class criminals,” Acacius pressed, not allowing Thora’s obvious threat to silence him. Thora growled and sprang to her feet, large icicle spear forming in her hand but Arai sighed and held up a hand to stop her.

“ Wait,” she said looking at her friend. “ It is time they learned the truth. You might as well tell them.”

“ Why should I?!” Thora demanded through clenched teeth.

“ They’re going to find out eventually. Surely you recognize the wisdom of the truth coming from you,” Arai told her gently. Thora glared at Arai and for a second, Kronos thought she was going to attack her. Instead, Thora threw the spear on the ground and folded her arms.

“ Fine!” She snapped. “ I’m only going to say this once so pay attention!” She glared at Acacius and Kronos but sighing, suddenly looking weary. “ Where to begin?”

“ You’ve already told them about your step mother and brothers,” Arai told her with a kind smile.

“ Right,” Thora muttered. “ Okay. I suppose I can start by explaining why I want to kill them. Like I said before, my mother led a coup and took control of the tribe from my father, the former Great Khan of the Augar Giant Tribe with the help of my older brothers. What I didn’t tell you is according to my people, they are not traitors but heroes.”

“ That’s terrible!” Kronos exclaimed. “ How could they get away with that?”

“ Because my step mother lied!” Thora said, trying to sound angry but the sadness was too much to hide. “ She framed me for my father’s murder. And… and everyone believed her. As if that wasn’t enough, my brothers have my mate, Ivar locked away in our most secure prison. As long as I stay away, they won’t hurt him. But if I try and come back…” Thora trailed off and hung her head. Kronos didn’t know what to say, what could be said in response to something like that?

“ I take it that’s how you found yourself being imprisoned by Calypso?” Acacius asked.

“ You’re not as stupid as you look,” Thora said with a dry chuckle. “ My stepmother made a deal with Calypso. The Lord Commander leaves her alone to run the tribe into the ground and every moon cycle Calypso receives a fresh batch of prisoners for her sick games.”

“ How do you know your mate isn’t… you know,” Kronos asked trailing off, not wanting to further upset her. Arai answered in her place.

“ I’m surprised you do not know this Kronos. Have you never mated with someone?” Acacius smirked at his brother.

“ That’s a rather excellent question. One I’m

sure we all want to hear the answer to.”

“ Oh shut up!” Kronos snapped, his face warm. “ I’m sure you haven’t either!”

“ But we’re not talking about me now are we?” Acacius crowed.

“ Anyway,” Arai said, a smile tugging on her lips. “ When one of Abnormal blood takes a mate, a bond is formed between the two. This bound tells both of them where the other is at all times. It allows them to feel each other’s emotions. It lets them both know when their mate is sick, or dead. Put simply, the bond between mates is one heart with two viewpoints.”

“ I see,” Kronos said, looking back at Thora. “ Is there now way to right these wrongs?” She sullenly shook her head.

“ None I can think of. We’re talking about the three most politically powerful members of my tribe. I can’t think of a single way to avenge my father and ensure he receives the justice he deserves.”

“ Anything we can do to help?” Kronos asked, all ill feelings he had for her evaporate and replaced with sympathy and a longing to comfort her. She and I are more alike than I would have thought. We’re both trapped by circumstances we cannot control and despised for something we cannot change. Thora gave him a small smile.

“ Thanks Kronos,” she said. “ I appreciate the offer, I really do. But this is my problem. It’s best if I handle it. Now then,” she said, the hard edge returning to her voice. “ Are you going to sit around all day or are you ready to move yet?”

“ I can manage,” he said, slowly getting to his feet. The group resumed their navigation, cautiously crossing an ice bridge. Due to his fatigue, Kronos misstepped and would have fallen over the side into the dark abyss below had Thora not grabbed him by the arm and hauled him away from the edge.

“ Thanks,” he breathed, slightly surprised that Thora had saved him.

“ Next time, I’ll let you fall,” she said gruffly, letting go of his arm. “ If you’re going to hold us up, you’re useless.”

“ Don’t be so rough, Thora!” Arai said sharply. “He’s been through more than the rest of us! If it weren’t for his plan, we’d all be dead by now!” Thora looked at her, mouth slightly agape as if she couldn’t believe Arai had snapped at her.

“ It’s fine, I can fly, remember?” Kronos said quickly. “ I was never in any true danger.”

“ See? He’s fine!” Thora snapped.

“ Not to be rude but we need to keep moving,” Acacius quietly said.” If the target gets away, I wouldn’t put it past Calypso to kill us for failing her.” With a nod of agreement, Kronos pushed forward and followed his brother across the bridge. He didn’t want to be the reason those two started arguing and Thora’s attitude didn’t bother him anymore. After some more walking, they soon arrived in a spacious square room with immense black marble walls. Kronos began to shiver more violently than before. Dust and cinders! I’m surprised my feet haven’t frozen to the ground!

The ancient floor showed signs someone had been there recently with sleeping bags and a campfire. A single lantern was in the center of the room. A spiral staircase at the far end wall led upwards. What caught the attention of Kronos were all the fresh blood stains and the scent of fear that clung heavily in the air.

“ What happened here?” Arai asked.

“ By the looks of it, I’d say our target didn’t make it past this point. At the very least, the soldiers he sent through here didn’t,” Acacius commented.

“ But where are the bodies?” Kronos muttered. Something about this seemed off.

“ Well! It looks like a few of you did survive!” The four Abnormals turned around to see Calypso standing at the top of the spiral staircase. Beside her was another woman. She was tall, standing at six foot five, and had a regal presence about her, the way a queen or a member of a prominent family would. Her jet-black hair was tied in a braid. She had a long narrow face with a round jaw, small ears, and a slightly large nose. She wore a crimson red sleeveless top with golden bands on her upper arms and brackets on her wrist. She also wore a crimson red and gold flowing skirt with a waist cummerbund. She wore a pair of leg covers and golden armored boots.

Her light green eyes scanned Kronos, Arai, and Thora without interest but stopped when they landed on Acacius. She said nothing but narrowed her eyes and folded her arms.

“ Oh yes, where are my manners?” Calypso asked, looking at the woman. “ This is Aralu Omarosa, my War Maiden.” Kronos’s eyes widened as a scent reached his nose. This woman is half Phoenix! But Calypso despises any Abnormal of mixed blood! Calypso and Aralu both walked down the staircase, followed by a patrol of soldiers. “ I take it you four are the only four who survived on your end,” Calypso said.

“ What are you doing here? I thought you were hunting down that noble,” Kronos said.

“ We tracked him to his little hideaway. I’ve sent some of my patrols to capture him. I figure I should thank him a little for forcing me to trek through this frozen wasteland just to find him. To simply kill him would be too easy. No I think I’ll have some fun first. Anyway I sensed your bands close by, so I thought I would reclaim my pets first,” Calypso replied, looking at the bloodstains. “ What happened here?”

“ We don't know; we only arrived here recently,” Acacius told her. Calypso said nothing; instead, she noticed a double set of cast iron doors near the staircase and walked over to them.

“ Kronos!” she barked. “ Get over here!” Confused, Kronos did as instructed. “ There’s a form of writing engraved on these doors. Looks like something you'd know about.” Kronos looked at the door. It depicted war, poverty, famine, and mortals being slain by gods. Kronos was floored; he had only seen depictions like this in ancient texts.

“ This... This is incredible,” he said. “ You’re right, Calypso; this is some form of writing. But it's not in any language used today. From what I can decipher, it looks as though this is written in the Third Tongue, the language of the Lordean.”

“ So what does it say?!” Calypso demanded.

“ I don't know. I can translate a few words but nothing that can form a message,” Kronos told her.

“ What?!”

“ The Third Tongue is a lost language. We know next to nothing of the Lordean,” Kronos said. Calypso growled at him.

“ The one time I need your help, and you let me down. Typical. You always have been a failure. And to think I used to help you sneak into the Forbidden Library. You'd think after all the time you've spent in there; you would have learned something.”

“ Happy to disappoint you,” Kronos said, turning his head to glare at her. “ Now, if you’ll let me continue, I was about to tell you a way I can hypothesize what the writing says. The Lordean didn't just use words to communicate; their language was a combination of writing and depictions like we see here. Just give me a few minutes to study; I should have an idea of what it says.” Calypso glared at him but nodded.

“ Just hurry up! This cavern is freezing. I want this to be back at camp so I can have fun with my new toy by sundown!” she barked before stalking off. Kronos resumed his examination of the door, soon becoming so focused the world around him faded away. He traced the writing with his finger, not registering that the door was quite warm. Not did he notice the marble walls begin to shift.

“ Paragon… sacrifice… sacrament,” Kronos muttered.

“ KRONOS!” a roar and smack upside the head caused him to jolt. He looked back to see Calypso was back, arms folded. “ I asked you if you found anything!” Kronos rubbed the back of his head and grimaced.

“ I think so. I think this is a depiction of The Paragon’s Sacrament.” The color drained from Calypso’s face. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close.

“ What else does it say?! Does it say how to stop it?! How to defeat The Paragon?! How to seal it away?!” Kronos was taken aback and tried to pull away, but her grip was like iron.

“ First of all, should The Paragon return to our world, no one will be able to stop it, don’t be daft,” he scoffed. “ Second of all, from what I have been able to discern, it just warns of what would happen in the case of The Paragon’s return.”

“ And that is?” Calypso breathed.

“ Ocrad will suffer in ways it hasn't for generations. It would bring about endless battle. As eager for war our kind is, the carnage would be too great, even for us. Famine and disease would be commonplace; the land would become inhospitable. And then The Paragon would devour us all,” Kronos told her. Calypso muttered multiple curses then turned her head.

“ Arai! Get over here now!” she yelled. Startled, the Kitsune hurried over from the campfire the others were warming themselves by. “ If you concentrate enough, could you create a copy of these doors when we get back?” she demanded.

“ I should be able to, but why do you want me-”

“ I didn't ask for your questions! Just study those doors!” Calypso yelled. As Arai did as she demanded, Kronos smacked her arm away.

“ What's wrong with you?” he demanded.

“ What do you mean?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“ I haven't seen you like this before. You almost look scared.” Her eyes flashed, and she opened her mouth to retort but stopped as a loud ungodly shriek split the air.

“ What was that?!” Acacius demanded. Thora’s eyes went wide, and she started to tremble.

“ Oh no…” The shriek split the air again. It sounded nothing like Kronos had ever heard before. It was high-pitched and hoarse. It echoed throughout the chamber, causing some marble to fall off the walls. That’s not marble! Kronos thought after closer inspection. Another shriek, and this time Kronos backed up in horror as a giant centipede reared its head.

It was twenty feet tall, its black skin hard as stone. Its legs were taller than the average human man. Protruding out of its jaw were two long jagged pincers that produced green ooze. Its glowing red eyes eyed the Abnormals that had dared to intrude in its lair with malice and hunger.

“ It’s an Untri. We are so dead,” Thora whispered.

“ What exactly is an Untri?” Kronos asked.

“ Of all the predators that roam my homeland, they are the most feared. They have been known to decimate entire villages,” Thora said in a small voice. The Untri screeched and lunged at the small gathering of Abnormals. Before any of them could move, several of Calypso’s soldiers were sliced by the creature’s pincers as if they were paper. Any attempt at a counterattack was laughable at best. The elemental attacks of Thora, Acacius, Arai, and Calypso didn’t even seem to get the beast’s attention. The soldiers had even less luck; their weapons merely bounced against the creature’s skin before they were cut down and devoured.

Mustering all his strength, Kronos fired a burst of lightning, but it did nothing to weaken the creature. Kronos fell on one knee, cursing himself. What was I thinking? I’m in no condition for combat! Hearing a screech, he looked up to see the Untri heading for him. Before he could even react, he was suddenly thrown through the air, landing on his side several feet away. The Untri hissed as it turned itself around and snatched up less unfortunate soldiers in its jaws. Calypso ran to Kronos and knelt at his side.

“ Are you okay?!” She asked.-

“ Yeah. I think so,” He asked, squinting at her. She actually sounded worried and… Is that concern in her eyes?! Could it be possible that, SHE saved me?! Another angry screech caused them both to look up to see the massive centipede descending upon them. Calypso grabbed Kronos’s arm and jerked him out of the way. But they were not able to get away fast enough. The beast crashed through the icy floor, causing the ground under their feet to crumble underneath.

Both Calypso and Kronos were unable to do anything to prevent themselves from plummeting into the great unknown.