[S] Facing the Ice Queen

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

Black, that’s all it was, blackness so dark that not even the sun could pierce its veil. But, in that darkness, there was still the sound of breathing and still the presence of life. The breathing was thin, light, and cold. With each curt gasp, one could see the faint outline of moisture in the air before it disintegrated, assimilating into the pale world around it. Indeed, it was cold here, so cold, like ice, that not even oxygen could keep itself together. The ground was stiff, water ways were frozen, and the icy hell prepared another grave for the fool who dared to tread into its depths. That fool however, was quite content with his decision. He was here for one reason and one reason alone. That fool, a man who wore only a hooded cloak, three layers of clothes including armor, and equipped himself with an arsenal which could challenger an army, stood with his eyes fixed on a single door. There was no label for the door, to the blind, but he could see it. Hovering there, just out of reach; Lair of the Hunter.

For three days, the man traveled to get to where he now stood. He crossed seas of green, passed through deadly forests, and descended into the deepest, darkest pit even he could not conceive. Many beasts stood in his way but there was nothing but a trail of blood behind him now. His goal was not even four feet in front of him and he could nearly reach out and touch it. Yet he remained still. He had been standing there for quite a while now in silence. He breathed in, exhaled, and blinked. His body had become almost as cold as the walls around him and his fingers were beginning to numb, even as he tucked his body under his cloak. Beyond the door was a beast he did not come to kill, and that was what disturbed him the most. Beyond that door was a trail even he would consider suicide, but it was one he needed to complete. There was no going back now.

“Lord, let me not prove unworthy of my brothers…” The man muttered as his cold, white hands cracked and pulled into fists. The unwavering eyes hardened, his muscles tightened, and then he moved. His left boot lifted and fell, crashing onto stone as the warrior stepped forward. His hands opened and stretched forward, each planting on one of the two doors. With a hard shove, the doors were pushed open and apart. Dust fell, the walls cracked, and a thunder ripped through the silent stone tunnel. The man pushed the doors open and revealed the room within. His eyes lit as the walls came to life with fire. He stepped through the doors and stood tall as torches all around the room ignited, illuminating the massive hall.

The hall was long but not overly extravagant. It was a simple piece of art. On both sides, there were two small flights of stone steps which were organized to be used for seating. Along the walls behind them, large stone statues of armored bears stood with massive spears. At the man’s feet, an aged red carpet paved the pathway to the king’s throne, which sat atop a large set of stairs. The Throne as a gallant gold and red mixture of color and was flanked by two more bear warriors. As expected, this seat was not vacant. On the central cushion, a single blue marble was nestled onto the fabric.

The intruder took in a deep breath, inhaling the dusty, aged air, and gazed at the room before him as the last torches were lit. Just as they were, the two doors he had pushed open slowly began to close on their own. The hooded man glanced over his shoulder and watched as they did so, releasing a huff after the loud bang echoed through the hall. Doors in this world seemed to have a life of their own it seemed; as such a scene was becoming the norm for the lonely fellow. Then again, he was also seeking out the ancients. It came as no surprise that the unbinded souls wished to have their keeps go undisturbed.

A few moments of silence passed once more until a distant, faint hissing began to echo out. The hooded man turned his head towards the noise slightly, but then turned and fully looked towards it. At the throne, the blue marble began to glow. It glowed brightly, its light only getting fiercer as the hissing also increased until it was an almost deafening sound. The man did not shake as he watched. The walls began to shake, the orange fires turned blue and the air chilled. It was like hell was freezing over. Then, there was a loud shriek as the marble exploded. Air thrust outwards from the explosion. The man grabbed his cloak and turned over, pulling the thin object over his body to protect himself as a massive shockwave blasted through the room. The fires went out and darkness consumed the room again. The man beneath the cloak let out another huff as he returned to his feet. In the center of the room, atop the throne, a light blue and white creature stood on all fours…

It was a blue furred fox. Its body glowed with several runes, its tale shined a sky-bluish color, and its ears shimmered like the ocean. Its eyes pierced the blackness and a rune on its head glowed faintly. It stood like a king watching over its kingdom, and its eyes glared down at the sole invader of its world. But, that invader did not falter. He stood firm in the face of the expected enemy and clenched his fists. His target had arrived.

“You there… Shadow… Why do you come?” The Fox’s mouth did not move, but its eyes narrowed and its voice filled the air of the room. It was feminine but that did not make it any less frightening, no it made it much, much worse. This was no king’s land; it was a Queen’s.

“I seek the power of the Ancient Ice Fox.” The words of the man were that of a curse, and the Fox Spirit only sighed as she listened. Her head raised and her face softened. So, he was one of them.

“You dare come into my hall, disturb my sleep, and threaten me with such an empty breath? You poor creature… Leave.” The Fox Queen turned her head from the man by the door and she began to glow, as if preparing to return to the world from which she had just come. Yet, the man did not turn. Instead he stepped forward.

“I have heard stories…” The man began, and the Fox’s left ear twitched at the sound of his footfall. It was heavy, as if carrying the weight of more than just one soul.

“…Stories of Ancient beings who ruled the realm before man. Wolves, Bears, Ravens, and even Dragons…” Those tales were all ones he had confirmed himself, as this was not his first trial. He had faced many of the creatures he listed and had conquered all of their tasks, but it was not enough. This land was far more vast than anyone could ever imagine, and his questions were unending.

“But among the Kings and Lords, there were a few… outliers. These outliers ruled much like their male counterparts. They took care of their lands, lead armies, fought in battles, and raised families. Yet there is one tale which I found far more amusing; the tale of the Ice Queen.” With each step closer to the throne, the Ice Fox turned her head more towards the man and his voice grew just a little louder.

“The Northern Goddess, she was called, and no other King dared set foot in her land lest they feel her wrath. Even so, her kingdom thrived. Her lands always had plentiful harvests, her people lived long and happy lives, and her warriors never had to suffer the sight of a bloody battlefield. Yes, she was an Ice Queen, but she also bore the name the Queen of the Blue Rose. She was beautiful and kind, but her thorns could kill with just a single prick.” The man stopped at the base of the throne’s stairs and gazed up towards the Fox. Her eyes now locked with his.

“What do you want, Elf?” The Fox questioned, but the man simply smirked beneath the scarf which covered his face. His eyes narrowed and his cloak opened as he extended a hand upwards.

“I seek unity, strength, and knowledge. Nothing more, nothing less. I wish to gather the knowledge of the Gods and the Ancient beings of this world so that I may learn of how it works and why I was brought here. I also seek the power of those beings so that I may delve into places such as this and fear no evil which may lurk just around the corner.”

“So are you a scholar or a tyrant?” The Fox hissed, her eyes narrowing at the warrior as he lowered his outstretched hand. Her head lowered towards him, as if she was attempting to see something small and insignificant.

“I am neither.” He responded, his eyes hardening. No, he was no scholar for he did not know anything. He was no tyrant for he had neither followers nor a kingdom to rule.

“I am simply an Elf who seeks answers.”

“You are a fool.”

“I am persistent.”

“You have shown me this.”

“You think me a fool… But allow me to prove you wrong.”

The Fox’s ears twitched and her eyes narrowed for a moment, but then she slowly raised her head. There was a long silence as the two stared at one another. The cold was starting to bite at the Elf.

“Fine… but first, what is your name Elf?” The Fox stepped down from her throne and her tail whisked behind her as she stood at the edge of the last step. The man at the first reached his hands up and pulled his hood down to his shoulders. Then, he pulled down his scarf to reveal his face, and his hardened blue eyes. They were dull. Upon seeing this, the Fox’s eyes perked up slightly.

“I am Saber.”

: Word Count :
1738

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

Fox Art by Houndofthenight | [Source]

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

The Fox Queen stared down towards the warrior who stood at the base of her throne, her tails whisking behind her. She looked into those dull eyes and could see straight into his soul. It was a black shell that was sealed behind bars, locked away from the world around it, but there wasn’t a trace of fear in that darkness. He didn’t shake in the face of danger, he didn’t stutter. He was determined to achieve his goal and there was nothing that could stand in his way. Even as he sacrificed much to achieve that goal of his, he kept moving forward. He was alone in his agony, and that was by choice. It was commendable, but the Fox Queen would not deny how foolish a man he was for striving for such a goal. Unity? Knowledge? There was no such thing. This world was something far greater than the little Elf could imagine… but something told the Queen that he knew that. Was that why she had agreed?

“What is your trial, Ice Queen?” Saber blurted out after giving his name, hardly giving the Queen time to really contemplate what to do next. She had been disturbed a few times in the past, but none of those beings were as determined as the one before her now. She destroyed their will in an instant, ripped apart their minds, and then left them to die in the tunnels just outside of her room. This time, however, that would prove difficult. But she was as determined as the Elf. She was a Queen! She would not bow to such a lowly humanoid.

“My trial…? Is that what the others are calling these death quests?” The Ice Queen narrowed her eyes on the Elf below her. He was serious it seemed. So be it. She would end him like the rest, maybe even more so. She would tear him apart with her own teeth when the time came.

“Survive.” Her voice boomed into the room like a chilled breath and the world began to distort. The sigils on her body started to glow and her eyes shined brightly. The tails which swayed behind her stiffened and at their tips, cold blue orbs began to form and mana sprayed out into the room from them. Saber stepped up onto the first step and placed his hands on the two blades at his waist. He wasn’t afraid even now?

The throne room grew dark as all of walls started to fade, the shadows encroaching steadily on the two beings in the center of the room. The Ice Queen at the top of her throne smirked as she stared towards Saber, but the Elf’s face remained stoic, he was ready for this. Over the course of a few moments, the dark throne room shifted and changed to that of a massive mountain range. Surrounding it was nothing but tundra, snow, ice, and a harsh wind thrashed at the lifeless zone. Saber stared through the heavy wind and narrowed his eyes on the blue Fox as she walked down from her raised perch on a snowy hill. Yes, he was cold now, wasn’t he? The foolish Elf, he probably expected to fight didn’t he? How unprepared…

“You will survive for three days and three nights, Elf… Alone on this mountain side.” The Fox marched right down to in front of the Elf and lowered her head to meet his. His teeth were clenched but his eyes remained hard. She wanted to hear him say it, hear him say that it was cold, hear him say that he changed his mind! She wanted to see his eyes crumble right before her at her challenge!

“I accept your trial.” But there was none of that. He was as solid as a statue, unbreakable even. As the Fox Queen peered into Saber’s eyes from such a short distance, she could see a fire brimming inside. This man was not like the rest. He was far more prepared for this than even she was, and that was more frightening than she could even imagine. This man… This Elf…. He was different.

“Good luck.” The Fox Queen spat before turning away, whisking her tails at the Elf as she walked away through the white wall of snow. Her body glowed for just a moment as she made herself vanish from sight. The Elf stayed still even as she walked away, watching her every move until she was absolutely one-hundred percent out of sight, to him. Even from the distance she was at, the Fox Queen could still see through the white haze. She stared towards the Elf and watched as the warrior began to move….

* * *

Once the Ice Queen was out of sight, Saber let out a chilled huff. It was freezing here and his fingers were already starting to feel the burn of it. Thankfully he had worn multiple layers to protect him from such situations as this, but those layers wouldn’t last very long. Saber needed to move; he needed shelter. But in this white space, there seemed to be none of that. As he looked around, the snow was everywhere. There was nothing but white for as far as he could see and it was disorienting. Yet he had a job to do. He couldn’t just stand there for three days and expect to live. Soon, he would get hit with a status debuff of sorts that would freeze him or something. Knowing the world he was in, that wouldn’t come as a surprise.

The Elf pulled his hood over his head and ears, tucked his face beneath his scarf and pulled it tight, and then pulled his cloak around his body to protect him from the wind. Putting his back to the wind, Saber began to descend the mountain at an angle towards some faint shadows in the distance. He moved at a brisk walk, careful with his foot placement as his boots sank into the snow whenever he put down even the slightest bit of pressure. As expected the top layer of snow was the powdery type but beneath it, it was more compact. This mountain was just like his home in Alaska, so similar that he was quite comfortable in the environment. But even with his adaptation to the chilly air, he would still freeze if he wasn’t careful.

The open air bit at the Elf’s face even though he had it covered and it whisked at his feet, attempting to trip him up as he trotted down the massive spiked rock. The distance he had to cover was vast but thankfully, the sun was up in the sky. It was cold but it wasn’t as cold as it could have been. That didn’t make the situation any better though. Saber’s body still tingled as faint chills shot down his spine and his breath still came out as a fog on the other side of his scarf. Man, no wonder they called her the Ice Queen.

“There.” After a few minutes of his walking, the faint shadows he had been working towards started to come into view. They were tall, stretched towards the sky, and would provide some shelter from the wind, some shelter. Those shadows were trees. Even in high elevations and chilled temperatures, nature persisted and life always found a way to survive. It was something Saber had betted on when he realized where he was and was quite thankful for his find. Saber made his way towards those persistent examples and huffed as he finally reached them. It was a small forest of green, but it was still covered in white. The snow was everywhere.

The Elf carefully walked into the small white, green, and brown forest and made his way deep into its borders. The wind licked at his back and some of his body, but it wasn’t as fierce anymore. The deeper he went into the forest, the lighter the wind became. He would not become complacent, however. The wind may have been lighter where he now was, but it could still kill him. With the forest protecting him from the brunt of the dangerous breeze, he would last only a few more hours as compared to how long he would have lasted before. Yet, his pace didn’t change. Saber continued to descend the mountain. As he went along, he picked up small twigs and sticks that littered the snowy floor, creating a small pile of them in his inventory. He also picked any berries he could find. A few of them found their way into his mouth but he was careful with them. Some of the berries were poisonous or just outright inedible. Those he put into one of his pouches. They would serve a different purpose.

Soon, Saber had a large pile of sticks in his inventory and was also beginning to come across familiar territory; open space. The trees were thinning and the land was starting to return to open tundra. Yet before he strode out into the open, Saber knelt down beside a tree and put the massive nature-spike between himself and the wind. He listened to the nasty breeze whistle against the bark and rumbled lightly in his throat. Yes, this was just like home.

With his back to the tree, Saber scanned the tundra in front of him. There were several patches of trees around, scattered against the white background but simply going from forest to forest wouldn’t save him. It would also cost him a lot of energy, which he needed to preserve. Walking would keep him warm because it would work his muscles but it would only work for so long. Saber would need to eat and the food he had wasn’t meant to help him survive in a harsh environment. Due to his body also beginning to shake, Saber predicted that he could survive for maybe a day and half in his current state. That wasn’t enough; he needed to survive for far longer. So, Saber ignored the forests for now. Instead, he searched for something else.

“Boom.” Not too far off, Saber saw a crack in the white landscape. It was thin and hard to spot, but the reflection of the sunlight gave it away; ice. The Elf nodded and popped a few berries into his mouth before picking himself up off the floor. He tugged his cloak around his body and headed out into the cold air again. His back was slapped with a heavy gust and the Elf nearly stumbled over, but he used the wind to his advantage. Rather than waste energy fighting it, Saber’s feet shuffled forward with the wind as their propulsion. He smirked beneath his scarf and glanced over his shoulder; the Ice Queen watched from atop the mountain.

“Good try…” His grin faded and the Elf moved his attention back to his destination. He moved swiftly, his pace increasing from a brisk walk to that of a weak jog. He remained careful of the snow and his feet, but the wind was picking up. He needed to move quickly if he wanted to keep from becoming an elvish-popsicle.

At his quickened pace, Saber closed in on the frozen area much more quickly than he did the forest and just as he was starting to feel the pain of the cold, he reached it. Running along the landscape was a thin, ice crack. It was barely four feet wide but it stood out like a blue gem in the white sand. Saber knelt down to the frozen line and lowered himself as close to it as possible, almost putting his face against it as he looked through the ice. Just a few inches down, he could see bubbles; a river was flowing beneath the cold sheet, but its direction was unknown. Saber rumbled and pulled out a throwing knife. He stabbed it into the ice, but it bounced off like nothing. The Elf huffed and glanced around himself for a moment; no stone. Shit. Wait.

“Oh this is going to suck.” Saber cast Explosive Sigil on his dagger and then stabbed it into the snow beside the ice pack. Quickly, the man moved away from his dagger and then knelt down. He pulled his cloak over himself and then snapped his fingers. The ground shook and heat washed over his cloak for just a moment before he was pelted with a mixture of ice, snow, and frozen rain. The explosion rocked the air and cracked loudly into the wind. Once it was over though, Saber pulled his cloak away and looked down to see a small crater in the snow and ice; water began to pool into the hole but filled it quickly. After just about twenty seconds, the hidden river filled the hole up to the brim and reconnected itself with the other side. As expected; he was flowing East and down the mountain. Good, gravity still made sense here.

Saber glanced back up to the mountain top and stared towards the Ice Queen. She remained still on her perch, most likely watching his every move. He wondered if she was beginning to question herself now, if she still had doubts about him. He wondered what she thought of him, what she thought of his ideal. But most importantly; he wondered if she still thought that he would give up. The Ice Queen was vicious to outsiders in the tales he had read of her, and this was just an example of that. Yet, he had also read of how kind she could be. Did she feel any of that kindness towards him?

The Elf let out a chilled breath and shook his thoughts away. It didn’t matter now. She had given him a task and he doubted she would descend to him just because of some frostbite. If she cared about his health, she would have picked a different trial. No, she picked this because she wanted him to break. She wanted to show him that his ideal would be impossible, and thus she had given him an impossible task. Survive in this hazardous place for three days and three nights? To the average being, that was a death sentence. The simple soul would have simply wandered around in the snow until they collapsed. Was that what she had hoped would happen to him…?

“Damned Fox.” Saber thought as he began to follow the river. He wouldn’t cave so easily.

: Word Count :
2420

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M