Chapter 20

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[Sigurd]

“Look out” I called hoping for some miracle to intervene in the coming calamity. Perhaps Jenna would leap away. Alas it didn’t happen, and I came thundering down the slope digging my pick into the ground as hard as I could. Sending ice chips flying as I slid, screeching ever closer.

I swept her feet out from under her as I continued my uncontrolled slide and tried my best to catch her before she slammed down onto the ice. Whilst she didn’t land on the ice, she did land on me and as we came to a stop, I felt myself blushing.

She looked away in a hurry, twisting us so that we both splayed out on the ice as we continued to slide. About halfway across the platform we came to a stop. It was a relief that we hadn’t slid off the other end, or into the spikes that I could see from the corner of my eye. I breathed a sigh, relaxing for a second before I climbed to my feet.

Walking over to Jenna, I offered a hand to her.

“Sorry about that my lass, this ol’ man ain’t as good at slides as he used to be.” I said with a chuckle as I lifted her to her feet.

She coloured up nice and red at that and accepted with a demure smile.

“Thanks Sigurd” she mumbled, awkwardly.

“Ah its no trouble, might be my fault after all.” I laughed.

We walked over to Jackson as Sebastien set off. He managed to skate down with significant skill, not quite as controlled as Kael but unlike Jackson, Jenna or I, he did manage to stay on his feet. Impressive.

“Nice one” I congratulated him on his dextrous performance. He smiled back at me.

“Thank…Look out!” he blurted as surprise and fear spread over his features.

As if in slow motion, I spun around, ducking as I went. Across my vision blurred a shadow framed in white, tearing the air as it went and leaving a trailing path of frosty air that swept past me raising the hairs on my neck and sent shivers down my spine.

Ice blue globes of terror stood out in the whiteness of the surroundings, their angry glare, sliding into me like a knife in the ribs.

Like a thunderclap the sound of crunching metal reverberated around the room. A solitary clap that pierced the silence that had enveloped me. The world sped back up again and Jackson flew back away from us, his armour dented in the front as the yeti’s blow landed true.

Regaining my composure, I scrambled forward raising my axe up high as I shoulder barged Jenna out of the way. The Yeti’s arm swung back in for another blow, though higher than my short stature. Being a little smaller had one advantage when facing such big enemies, reaching me wasn’t always natural. Though the downside to that was that if they did hit, it was normally at head height.

My axe was ripped from my hands as the yeti’s tough fur sliced open and bound around the blade on its return swing.

The force of it spun me around, sending me to my knees on the slippery ice as the scorching blood from the monsters new wound sprayed me with the thick lifeblood that fed its brutish limbs. At least it hadn’t hit Jenna.

With a shout, Sebastien launched himself at the yeti, sword glowing blue as the magic activated for a savage blow that speared into the back of the creature.

Another spurt of blood burst out of the creature as Sebastien landed his huge hit.

The yeti roared in unbridled pain and thrashed around, sending Sebastien sliding back as he was kicked off.

A searing heat passed my back and burst into my vision as the howling fire from Lorelei ate away at the tough matted fur of the monster, exposing its black flesh.

It stumbled back but didn’t fall over and I took my chance to close in on it. Pulling the daggers from my belt and slashing at its unprotected front.

The few moments of unbalanced chaos that stopped it responding passed in short order, and its sharp claws came flying back around. I felt my back flay open as the skin, muscle and tissues ripped and shredded apart. Pain lanced into me, but I ignored it, focusing on what was in front of me. I was the only front-line fighter available and I had to tank it.

Thankfully, Jenna had gotten off a greater healing and I felt my body knit back together. Blood gushing flesh, raw and exposed became woven fibres of muscles sheathed in a thick layer of skin, protecting the weapon that I was in that moment, my daggers flashing as I opened up the beast with fury driving my every action.

I screamed, releasing all the pain and anger and further strengthening my blows as I cut deeper and deeper. Gore splurged over my forearms and burnt into me, but nothing would stop me now and the beast collapsed with another roar, flailing weakly as it bled out, the strength flooding out of it with the fresh wounds I inflicted upon it.

Another blow split my skin open, letting rivulets of my blood seep out, to drip onto the flooded ice below but I hardly noticed it, so intent on ending the creature.

Shortly I achieved my goal and it let out its final chocking cough as the great lungs stopped expanding and the final beat of its great heart pumped out one more gout of blood.

I fell back, crying out in pain as I landed hard on the ice, my wound flaring in such intense pain that I felt the curtains closing on my mind.

I took a few shallow breaths as the pain grasped my heart in its icy withered fingers.

I let my head fall to its side and saw Jackson, crumpled on the floor, ice spikes from the wall piercing his great steel armour and blood welling up from entry points.

‘Ah, shit’ I thought as the cold grasp on my heart intensified.

Blackness followed soon after.