The+Icy+Heart+of+the+World+(final+battle+in+Fyriah)



Nick silently volunteered himself first and walked out to the icy tundra that was Fyriah.

Fevrea rolled her eyes, unsheathed her sword, and jogged after him, yelling, “It’s stupid to walk into something you don’t know without someone watching your back!”

Elek’s eyes widened at the sight of the frozen tundra before him and he started bending water from the table into an ice board. He ran and leapt through the gate on his newly formed board.

Nervously glancing around, but giving in to temptation, Weylin retrieved Nott’s abandoned bone and chucked it through the gate. “Fetch.” Nott dashed off after the people before her and Weylin followed begrudgingly.

Jones hesitated and said, “I should be going home. This is not my battle.” Iis tried to catch his eye in hopes of a quick glance to change his mind. Where would he go? Home? He needed her for a reason. He could be killed if he went alone. Her mind proposed the short-lived idea of leaving as well but she fought back the urge, imagining the utter disappointment from the whole group.

The Fox sighed, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. “Go to your gate and be ready. I will not be able to hold it long.”

Before Jones could leave, Iis pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry for everything," she told him. "I'm sorry for getting you into this. Please be safe in Mondiluce." Jones said nothing but pulled away to face her and grabbed her hand in his. A cool metal chain pressed between their palms. He touched his forehead to hers.

"I love you," he whispered as he closed her hand around the object.

After a goodbye kiss on the top of Iis's head, Jones crossed to the gate, which flared briefly. He dove through the portal, which snapped closed behind him. Iis opened her hand to reveal a tiny diamond necklace. She had thrown a similar necklace at the ground in Arlyn after her fight with Jones and she came to the conclusion that this was the same one. She had thought that he didn't care enough at the moment to even notice it in the dirt. But he did care. She was really important to him. He really loved her. Now, he was really gone. Her eyes stung but she held back the tears. It was time to move forward. There was nothing she could do. Clutching the necklace tightly in her small hand, Iis then volunteered to go through to Fyriah. “Iis, wait,” the Fox said. He handed her a warm fur coat. She repaid him with a smile that she forced across her face and continued, in loneliness, out into the cold.

“What kind of king would I be if I were to stand aside and let my kingdom be destroyed?” Talos walked through the gate, Esme, Ryan, Veronika and Muirin following close behind him.

Halyn clutched her new cloak closer to her body and tensed as she walked through the gate, hoping she wouldn’t regret her decision.

Consil walked to the Fox, and whispered briefly in his ear. The Fox nodded gravely. Consil opened his book and disappeared in a flash of light.

Rielan looked to the Fox and Shadow. The two men looked like they had something to discuss. “Well, this is awkward,” Rielan murmured, and walked through the gate.

The Fox swung the green cloak off of his shoulders and handed it to the Shadow. “Here. This cloak is Shadow-woven. It will render you invisible in darkness or in shadows. I don’t know if it will be much help in Fyriah,” he shrugged, “but you never can tell.”

The Shadow looked at the Fox quizzically. “Aren’t you going to be a little cold?”

“No,” the Fox replied, “the Forum is quite warm.”

The Shadow was startled. “Umm... what do you mean?”

“You asked me once why I needed your skill set since it was so similar to my own. This is why. I am not going with you. I know that the Enemy will try to attack the Forum so I will stay here and defend it,” the Fox said quietly.

“How many?” the Shadow asked.

The Fox closed his eyes briefly. “Too many to count.”

“You’re going to fight them here all by yourself?” The Shadow couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I am not alone, Gerion,” Rey smiled. “I am //never// alone.” Around him ghostly figures appeared. The Shadow recognized Celia, Adamo, and Sinopa but thousands more that he had never before seen filled the room, flickering in the dim golden light.

“You're going to die-”

“I know,” Rey said. “It's all right. I've accepted my fate. I will try to buy you enough time to do what needs to be done. I was honored to have been your mentor, even for only a brief time. But now, the mentor must fall and you must take your rightful place. //You// are the hero of this story, Gerion, you and all the others. Now go. And, if you can, try to protect them as I would have tried to do. Farewell, my dear brother.”

The Shadow nodded. The Fox held out his hand to Gerion, but the Shadow hugged the older man instead. Just as the Shadow was about to pass through the gate, the Fox called, “Oh, and Gerion? Catch.” He lobbed a green apple to the Shadow.

Glancing at the Shadow as he stepped through the gate, Weylin craned his head, looking for the Fox. “Where is our leader?” he asked, confused.

“He’s not coming. We’re on our own,” the Shadow bowed his head in reply.

“We’re as good as dead,” Weylin muttered.

“Haven’t we been all along?” The Shadow arched one eyebrow at the younger man, in unconscious imitation of the Fox.

Esme nodded to the fact that that was very true.

“We’re not dead until blood is pouring from our bodies. We still have our weapons and our magic. We can do this,” Fevrea stated firmly.

They saw a large structure, vaguely castle-like, but made entirely out of ice, sparkling in the distance. The group noticed that Fyriah was exceptionally cold as the wind started whipping around them. Even Iis shivered as the icy air invaded the insides of her thick coat.

Nick said, “Let’s get going.”

“Subtlety, my friend. Subtlety. But I agree. Let’s go,” the Shadow replied and the party moved forward.

As they approached the castle, they saw a gnarled tree standing near it, covered with ice and snow. It was the only organic thing visible in Fyriah. In front of them, two towers of ice rose into the air. Ryan noticed nothing but Talos glanced up and saw guards standing on the towers.

“Archers!” Talos exclaimed. Esme looked up, very alert to the sound of Talos' stern demanding voice.

“Take them out!” the Shadow commanded.

Two arrows arched up and slammed into the chests of two archers, doing minor damage. The unaffected guards made moves to retaliate. Two arrows hit Ryan and glanced off of his plate mail as the archers geared up for another volley.

Nicholas sent a gust of wind toward the tower that knocked one of the archers off. The guard plummeted forty feet to the frigid ground below, laid there a moment, and then slowly rose, and started shambling toward Nicholas.

Talos moved forward to intercept, bringing his sword into a defensive position. The guard swung long, nasty claws toward Talos, raking against his armor. As the creature brought his other arm back for another swing, Talos’ sword cleaved a chunk of flesh from the ghoul. Two arrows rebounded off of Talos’ armor, but a third lodged itself in the crease that allowed his left shoulder to move.

The Shadow noticed Talos’ distress, and quickly entered the shadow realm to appear directly behind the creature. Unfortunately, the guards were still sending volleys of arrows. Fevrea ordered the mages forward and the archers to the back to try and stop the guards from attacking.

Elek took his board, concentrated for a moment, and reformed it into six spears, which he flung at the guards, one ice spear piercing each of them. Talos’ sword came back, swung forward, and neatly bisected the creature that he faced. The way was clear. Talos pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and the group walked into the castle.

Talos moved back, relinquishing his spot to Ryan in favor of being healed by Halyn. Ryan, oblivious, peered toward the guard’s quarters, and then walked toward the gate.

“Wait! Everyone back!” the Shadow yelled, but Ryan, ever the headstrong bull, continued striding forward arrogantly, sure that he could handle any danger. As his foot hit a discolored square of ice, the Shadow heard a distinct //click//. A frigid mist dropped from above Ryan, enveloping him, and instantly freezing him in place. The rest of the group didn’t have time to mourn and moved forward, leaving Ryan behind.

Fevrea looked around and said, “Watch your step.”

Iis's heart pounded. She was as close to death, maybe even closer, than Jones was. She took one last look at her former teammate, remembering that he wasn't really that bad back in Arlyn, and held her necklace tighter. If this was his death, she would at least take a moment to remember how she knew him.

Nicholas, Veronika and Elek moved forward into the castle, the rest of the group following behind. They peered down a long corridor, seeing doors on their right and left at intervals down the hall. Nott growled low in her throat and nudged Weylin away from the left hand wall.

"I think we should listen to the dog," the Shadow observed.

Nott took point, with Talos, Weylin and the Shadow trailing close behind. They were followed by Nicholas and Fevrea, who said, “I believe my intelligence can outweigh your stupidity.”

The rest of the company fell in behind the leaders. As they were proceeding down the hallway, Nott whined and the Shadow heard a distinct //click// and then the twang of a bow string. //Two// twangs. The Shadow reacted quickly, grabbing Weylin and shadow traveling a few feet down the corridor as two bolts sped across the hallway, slamming into Talos and Fevrea. Talos’ armor crumpled as the bolt punched into his left tricep. The second bolt sprouted from Fevrea’s exposed upper arm. She screamed in shock and then bit her lips, trying to control the pain.

Halyn jumped to help Fevrea, getting to her as fast as possible as the Shadow and Weylin reappeared, standing in front of the first door. Nott looked up, surprised, cocking her head and began sniffing at the block that Weylin had just been standing on.

Rielan stepped forward and crudely pulled the bolt from Talos’ arm and then helped him remove that piece of armor.

“Is everyone okay?” the Shadow asked.

Everyone nodded and mumbled. At that point, the entire group heard a very familiar laugh and then a voice saying, “Really? You think to use the undead against me? Didn’t you learn your lesson last time?”

“Fox!” the Shadow exclaimed, only to realize that he wasn’t there.

“We have to keep going,” Weylin said, kicking the first door in.

“Stop!” Fevrea cried. “We have to check for-”

“Too late,” Nicholas observed. The door opened to reveal what appeared to be the kitchen of the castle.

Nott rushed forward, sniffed around the room, then retreated to Weylin, wagging her tail.

“Next room, everybody,” ordered the Shadow. “Be wary.” He meticulously observed the floor, placing his hands on it, when he heard another //click//. Weylin reached for the Shadow, pulled him back, and Nott leapt in front of the incoming bolt. The force of the blow slammed her into the right hand wall. She slumped on the floor, not moving. Weylin cried out in pain.

“Nott!” the Shadow ran to her side, the pure emanation of light radiating off of his hands. Nicholas walked forward and pulled the bolt out. Weylin shuddered on the floor, gasping for breath. After a few moments, Nott awoke, shook herself all over, and Weylin stabilized.

Weylin, gagging on blood, stood up and said, “Now that’s what you call pack mentality.”

Iis tried not to show signs of the fear in her heart. Weylin was the closest friend she had here. She couldn't lose everyone.

Rielan, without hesitation, jumped through the next door and found himself in an armory. Weapons were on racks, shelves and tables. In one corner stood an anvil and a sharpening wheel. At the back of the room were two racks of rakes, which seemed oddly out of place in the icy castle. The rakes flanked each side of a set of double doors.

Talos glanced at the room and said, “Touch nothing.”

The company heard another laugh, and clearly heard the Fox’s voice, dripping with disdain, saying, “Please. You are only toying with me. Send me a challenge!”

“Something really odd is going on here,” Halyn pointed out. “There are no guards everywhere for one, and for two, why is there a rack full of rakes?”

The group went and examined the odd rakes. “Are the rakes keys?” Weylin asked.

“Maybe we should just go,” the Shadow told him. “If they are, we’ll just come back.”

The group, learning from their mistakes, opened the double doors using magic from a distance, and nothing happened. They found themselves staring at another set of double doors across the hallway. Again, they opened the doors with magic and found themselves peering into what seemed to be an audience chamber. Ranks of cushioned chairs curved in a semi-circle around a golden dais, on which sat a throne. Beautiful tapestries hung behind the throne, depicting scenes of a fox hunt. The room appeared to be empty.

The Shadow burst into the room, crossed to the dais, and tore the tapestry down in a fit of rage. The tapestry burst into flames and it scattered across the floor.

The rest of the group entered the room. As the last three members, Iis, Esme, and Muirin crossed the threshold, three arrows sang out, struck them, and they were frozen in place, coated with ice.

“Where are these arrows coming from?” Talos asked, glancing around and noticing an alcove. “The alcove!” Talos commanded.

The Shadow peered over and the entire alcove exploded as he winced slightly. “I have an idea. I need Elek and Veronika. Veronika, melt the ice off of our companions. Elek, take the water. Then, when you’re done with that, go back and get Ryan. We might need him, unfortunately.”

The two began to ebb and flow in a pattern that slowly dissipated the ice off of the sculptures. “While you two work, the rest of us will push forward. We need to get up.”

As the ice melted from Iis, her necklace dropped from her hand to the floor. It made no sound that could be heard over the conversations of others. No one noticed. No one made an effort to pick it up. Panic rushed through her and fear of losing the most important thing she had overthrew her thoughts. When she was free, she took it from the floor with a quick motion and hooked it around her neck. The two girls next to her shivered. The rescue of her necklace had put Iis in a pleasant mood which seemed so out of place in such a dangerous environment. Iis pulled off her fur coat and generously held it out to the girls, offering it up for whichever one wanted its warmth.

Esme was used to cold temperatures but now she knew that she could bear it no longer. "Are you sure?" asked Esme, shivering uncontrollably.

"Of course." Iis worried if, again, she was compensating for her loss of Jones with forced friendships but, nonetheless, she smiled and handed Esme the coat.

Esme, now comforted by the warmth of the coat, smiled at Iis and they joined the rest of the group together. Esme had noticed the insincerity and hesitance in Iis's offer. She seemed distant. "Are you ok? I mean, besides the fact that we were frozen and all, you seem upset."

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just-" She paused. Was she speaking the name of a ghost? "It's Jones. He could be dying right now and I have no way of knowing. I may never see him again. And all I have left is this," she lifted the pendant from her chest and held it for Esme to see.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Esme exclaimed, but then grew sad for Iis. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine the possibility of losing someone I care for so much." Esme let out a big sigh and decided to leave that touchy topic alone.

Nott scampered up to the dais and began sniffing and scratching at one section. Rielan walked over and noted a small hole about halfway up the wall. It looked like something could fit in to it.

“The dog has found something and so has Nott,” Fevrea pointed out.

Rielan growled in response and then said, “There’s a hole. Right here. In the wall.”

“What does it look like?” the Shadow asked.

“It’s a hole,” Rielan reiterated.

“Thank you for pointing out the obvious, but what’s //in// it?” the Shadow uttered, irritated.

Just as Rielan was getting ready to put his hand in the hole, Talos moved to stop him. “What about the rakes?”

The rest of the party went and grabbed all the rakes, bringing them into the audience chamber and trying them one at a time. Finally, when the penultimate rake handle was placed in the hole, the party heard a grinding sound as the walls retracted, revealing a spiral staircase leading to what they assumed was the second floor.

They waited for the entire party and then made their way up the staircase, Nott leading the way, and they emerged into a long, empty hallway. They approached the second corridor and noticed an icy mist choking the hallway. Talos took a defensive position. Elek condensed the mist using his water magic and Nick sent a gust of wind to carry it downstairs.

The remaining heroes pressed into the room before them. Astonishing ice sculptures littered the room; each statue appeared to be a snapshot of a hero in the heat of battle. Each of them almost seemed impossibly perfect.

“Beautiful aren’t they?” A booming voice echoed from the rear of the room. “This is all that remains of heroes that stood before me just as you do now.”

The heroes turned their attention to the voice. Wisps of frigid air curled off each exposed surface of the monstrous throne that stood before them. A figure covered in a sheet of frost drifted from behind one of the frozen sculptures. The figure towered over the heroes as it approached, each step made him seem a foot taller then the one before, each step left a frozen patch in his wake.

“I assume you’re here to stop me? Ha, don’t make me laugh. You’ve made it through my trap-ridden castle only to be comforted by your afterlife.” With each word it spoke, an icy mist poured from its hidden mouth. “Glacies, as you might remember. Last we -I-I remember we exchanged words before the Cataclysm occurred. Those were the days of real wizards, and magicians, real bladesmen and bowmen. What do you fancy yourselves? You are hardly adults by my reckoning. Your strength is solely in numbers and yet your strength dwindles in my palace. Your anxiety suits you well, gladly you know your fate.”

The light finally hit his face. Blue veins trailed around his pale complexion. He may have been tall, but his face was frail. Two red veins crept from his neck, each word he spoke another face managed to appear for just a split second. His twin soul was locked in the Forum. They had been ripped from each other during the Cataclysm.

“I have no time for you weak, mere mortals, I have a //Fox// to hunt.” Glacies laughed at the heroes. “I’ll leave you to the heroes of my dominion to find your fate. They will be far more merciful than I would be.”

Glacies’ hands moved in impossible fashion, they began to glow with the same dim white light that the room was filled with, brighter and brighter his hands started to glow. Blinding light spewed from his hands for just a moment before everything returned to the dim lit room it was before. Glacies was nowhere to be found.

From the darkness the heroes heard the cracking of ice. The perfect ice sculptures they gawked at before were hardly sculptures now. Glacies had frozen the forms of the heroes he had fought in the past in time, to use at his will. They slowly regained consciousness and staggered toward the companions at the mouth of the room, drawing their weapons, and mumbling the beginnings of spells.

Fevrea pulled her daggers and screamed, “Arm yourselves!” just as a large ball of ice slammed into her chest.

Ryan drew his sword and positioned himself behind his shield as he engaged with an ice warrior. Ryan blocked the ice sword with his shield and took a swipe at the head, neatly decapitating the ice warrior, who shattered.

Talos charged another, slashing vertically from top to bottom down his torso and the warrior broke into pieces.

The Shadow’s eyes began to glow a pure white and the ice cracked beneath his feet. White flame erupted around him and shot out at two of the warriors, only encircling one. When the flames retracted, only a few small drops of water fell to the floor.

Nick pulled out his gemstone and suddenly three copies appeared. The copies engaged one warrior and overpowered him in seconds.

A statue swung toward Rielan, who ducked and came back up in time to send his blade into the sternum of the warrior. The icy form brought his blade down, cleaving into Rielan’s side. Rielan’s anger rose and he spoke, “That was a bad idea.” Quickly morphing into werewolf form, he clapped his hands on either side of the ice warrior’s head and crushed it.

As the party was fighting, they noticed that time had begun to slow but their minds did not. A brilliant green light flooded the room and a hulking mechanical figure materialized in the center. The ice warriors, still feeling the altered time effects, couldn't react to the large metal arms that shot out towards them. They managed to strike two, shattering the warriors into pieces. As the others stared in amazement, the arms swiveled and crushed the remaining two warriors.

“What the hell!?” the Shadow asked incredulously.

“Friend or foe, that was an amazing entrance,” Fevrea laughed.

A light flickered on behind the mask of the mechanized fighter, revealing a very familiar face: Consil had returned. “What did I miss?”

Nott began sniffing at the wall behind the dais. Weylin said, “If the last one helped us, why shouldn’t this one?”

Everyone turned and started examining the wall closely. Rielan said, “Let’s try and move the throne. We need to find stairs.”

Somehow, they knew that they must keep going up, until they finally met with Glacies again. Engrossed in their task, most did not notice the slight crackling of ice behind them.

A soft strange noise interrupted Weylin’s train of thought and he looked around their small group to locate its source. Casually, he glanced over his shoulder and was welcomed by the very creatures they had just destroyed. But now, instead of nine, there were eighteen.

Making a snap decision, Weylin turned his body to face the warriors and successfully covered the Shadow’s back. It was too late for Weylin to properly react, the sword plunged through his thin leather armor and buried itself deep into his stomach. He cried out faintly, blood dribbling from his lips. Pain coursed through his veins, rushing the poison from his punctured organs throughout his body.

Images blurred past his eyes and he dropped to his knees, no longer able to hold up the weight of his body. He was barely aware as Nott rushed by, leaping at the ice warrior and sinking her teeth into the arm that was holding the sword. The wrist crushed under the force and the ice hand hit the floor with a dull thud.

Fevrea charged into the fray, lighting the flame on her sword. Fevrea shouted for Veronika to help. Veronika snapped to attention and sent sheets of fire toward several of their opponents, melting them completely.

Elek took the water and sent it toward Veronika, intercepting her flame and turning it to steam. Nick realized the steam was a palpable form of air and twirled it into a tornado, sending it toward the foes.

The Shadow looked up and belted out, “Rielan! I have an idea!”

Rielan looked at the Shadow and nodded his head. The Shadow pulled the last gift from the Fox out of his pocket, an emerald green apple. He cast it into the tornado and bellowed, “Fetch!”

Rielan leapt from his place and plunged into the tornado, biting into the apple just as he turned into a werewolf. Nick sent the steam tornado, Rielan loaded, at a group of ice enemies. With wolf-like precision, Rielan swung his claws on the edges of the tornado, ripping the enemies to shreds. The heat from the tornado melted them completely, rendering them useless.

When the tornado settled, Rielan lay face down on the floor, soaked to the skin and smelling faintly of wet dog. He stood up and shook himself.

“Good boy,” Nick said.

As Halyn was attempting to heal Weylin, an icy spear hurtled across the room, catching her in the back and driving through until the point erupted from her navel. She looked down in surprise, blood gushing from the wound. She said nothing and slumped next to Weylin’s body, dead.

Seeing Halyn fall, Fevrea cried out in anguish and pushed her opponent away. She ran to the healer and as she reached the prone body, a flash of pain hit her. Gasping, Fevrea stumbled back until she was leaning against a wall. Then the flash returned, but did not recede. She closed her eyes as it overwhelmed her.

Pain.

Searing Pain.

That was all that Fevrea could feel. It started beneath her sternum and quickly spread throughout her entire being. She tried to speak, but any sound she attempted to make was frozen in her throat. Opening her eyes, the only thing she could see was fire. It surrounded and consumed her.

If she had been able to see herself, the changes would have been shocking. Fevrea’s eyes, previously gold, had shifted to a vibrant, haunting blue. Her hair had also been changed, with brilliant streaks of red, orange and yellow now accompanying the black. The flames that coated her skin were flickering impatiently and pulsing erratically.

While Fevrea suffered, the battle still raged.

That was until another wave of pain hit her, making the torture even worse, a seemingly impossible feat. It was then that the block on her voice broke and, with an agonizing scream, her mind filled with an overwhelming need. It was there, the knowledge to attain relief, hidden deep within her memories. She gathered what was left of her reasoning, it having been buried beneath the pain, closed her eyes and focused.

The flames on her skin stilled eerily, frozen in mid movement, then they slowly grew, shifting colors to the same blue of her irises. The wall of flame was racing outwards, gradually gaining speed.

Feeling the pain start to recede, Fevrea opened her eyes. They then widened in horror, as she realized that the fire was about to reach her companions.

“NO!” she screamed, and tried to pull it back in, but the fire wouldn’t listen, it was beyond her authority.

Fevrea reached out with both hands as if to grasp the flames and clenched her fists. Feeling the heat pull against the tether of her thready control, she knew that she only had a fraction of command. Using her mind’s eye she forced the fire to flow around her friends.

This only took a moment and the fire soon died down to a ruby red and started to retreat back towards her.

There was still pain but it was only an annoying little flicker.

Fevrea smiled at everyone, who stood still, staring shocked at her, as she still was aflame. “It’s gone! It doesn’t hurt anymore!” she lifted her hands in victory and laughed.

It was then that the flames started stirring again, but this time, the blaze was moving towards Fevrea. It drew in close and encased her in a scorching sphere. The fire then spun, faster and faster, with Fevrea trapped within.

There was a bright white flash and a rush of heat, that made the eyes of all those watching close and burn for a few moments.

When they could finally open them, Fevrea Cvetson was gone. All that was left was a pile of sand and a hollow in the wall she had been standing against, a hollow that resembled the fallen hero.

Weylin pulled the sword from his belly and let it drop onto the floor, ears ringing from the fight that was going on. He felt a soft pressure brush against him, jarring his attention away from the pain.

“No, Nott,” he corrected and gently pushed her away. She disregarded his opinion and pushed back up against him, light radiating from her ebony fur. There was no point, he knew it. Weylin sensed his death approaching and was willing to accept it. Letting Nott attempt to heal him would just kill them both and Weylin didn’t want that.

She whined but listened as he pushed her away a second time. Weylin stifled another groan of pain, clamping his teeth together.

“Nott, they need you,” he rasped and smiled weakly as she let out a snort. The canine crawled on her belly to him and set her head in his lap, maneuvering herself around his wound. She pushed her nose gently against his hand and he brushed his fingers through her fur, bowing his body over her protectively.

Weylin glanced upward, realizing that the fight was over. He was aware that they needed to move on, they needed to go now. He was also quite aware that he wouldn’t be going with them.

Sighing faintly, he nudged Nott once more, motioning his hand toward the Shadow. “You understand, right? I don’t need to explain what’s going to happen, you already know. So you already know what you need to do, right? We protect the pack, even if the only remaining member of said pack is sometimes overly arrogant and irrational,” he flashed a grin of blood stained teeth, eyes softening on the Shadow.

“You’ll take care of him because it’s what I want, understand?” Weylin’s voice broke on the last word, a faint whimper parting Nott’s jaws.

He peered around the ground with bloodshot eyes, smiling gently. “Now, you have to move along, alright? That’s what I want from you guys. No need for you to stick around watch my miserable self die,” he chuckled before erupting in another fit of coughs. The poison spread through his body much faster than before, leaving him pale and shaking. “Go along now, shoo. Do I need to sic the wolf on you?” teasing once again, his smile faded as she nudged his side.

He watched the retreat of bodies and heaved out a sigh. “One final game of fetch, Nott?” he asked and picked up his bow, fumbling with an arrow. Finally aligning the angles correctly, he sent it flying across the room.

The final shot took most of his remaining energy and he curled up on the floor. Amber eyes fluttered shut as the poison reached his heart and ended its beating.

A howl of agony and sorrow filled the room, echoing across the ice with its haunting melody, as Nott mourned the death of Weylin.

“Turns out the useless youth wasn’t so useless after all. Weylin died an honorable death. He was a good man, and may he rest in peace,” Ryan said sadly.

The Shadow bowed his head in respect, feeling sorrow for someone he actually cared about. Nott padded over to the Shadow, dropping the arrow at his feet and nudging her head underneath his hand. “That’s a good girl. It’ll all be okay.” She whined slightly and licked his hand.

Anger and regret replaced the initial sadness in Iis's mind. Weylin had left her, and she was sad. But as she watched Nott attach to the Shadow, she realized that she was never really important to him at all. If anything, she was only a disappointment, another forced relationship. She had used him to replace those feelings for Jones that had never seemed true. The moment that Jones chased after her, Weylin was the last thing on her mind. Her heart sunk. She would never forgive herself for it. The way she treated him was unfair. Now, it was too late to fix. She couldn't even say she was sorry. Iis took off her necklace and kept it in her hand, moving it between her fingers nervously.

When the room settled, the remaining heroes realized that Fevrea’s hollow revealed a staircase, leading up. They opted to take the stairs up after enlarging the hole so the whole party could fit. They emerged at the top of the castle and saw a large courtyard with a faint circle etched in the floor.

A familiar voice said to them, “Hello, my friends. I’m so glad that you’ve made it this far,” and they looked up to see Andresa Zuzar. Her green eyes glowed white and her hair and body were covered in frost. “Ah, you’ve noticed my change, I see. I belong now to Glacies, body and soul and I will fight you for my master’s sake.” Flinging her arms out to the side, giant vines of ice arched out, surrounding the company and binding them fast. She turned, curtsying low and said, “Master, they are yours.”

“I was hoping that a few of you remained. I intended on having a boring afternoon if you hadn’t,” Glacies responded.

Consil flexed his mech and broke free of the vines with ease. He smiled wryly, "Indeed, and what an afternoon it shall be."

Veronika set herself on fire, the heat quickly melting through the ice. Next to her, the Shadow improbably breathed fire from his mouth, freeing himself. Nick reached into his pocket, grabbed the his gem, created five copies of himself, and called on them to free the remaining. After doing so, however, the copies strayed too close to the circle that was etched in the floor and as soon as their feet touched it, they blinked out of existence.

“Petty magic my apprentice still works with. You would have been a waste of time if that held you, anyway. Though, as you can see, the circle that is etched around is intended to prevent the use of magic,” Glacies gloated.

At that moment, joyful laughter rang out. The Fox. And the others heard his honeyed voice sing, “Go. Find your other half. Find completion.”

Glacies’ head jerked up as a red glowing form rushed toward him, sinking into his body. He dropped to his knees, shouting, “No!”

The Shadow heard the Fox’s voice, gentle in his mind, “Now, little brother. Take him now.”

Arden’s soul melded with Glacies. Without pause the body that houses the split soul began to thrash. “You have no place here in my realm!” Glacies roared. “You were nothing more then a leech then, and you are nothing more then a leech now.”

“These may be your lands, but this is our body. If you fight, I will have no choice.” Arden’s voice was calm, and commanding.

The two red veins that coursed Glacies neck before began to span across his face and his arms. The air was humming with magic, powerful, destructive magic.

“You’re presence hardly weakens me, now go! Leave!” Glacies shouted and with a thunderous clap of his hands dust kicked up, leaving everyone blinded.

“He had it coming to him. That blasted Arden always felt he was better.” Glacies taunted the companions. He raised his right hand and blinding light flared from his hands as he crushed it into the frozen floor below him. The revenants that they fought at the front gate sprouted from the floor, only instead of four, there were fifteen, they groaned towards the heroes.

“Good luck, //heroes//," he sneered,"it won’t be as easy as it was last time.” Glacies vanished, but continued speaking. “I’ll be around to make sure you meet the fate that I have in store for you.”

Blue lights flickered around the circle that crossed the top of the tower. They began to shoot towards the adventurers, nicking off chunks of their armor.

“Return! Your spirits will gain no respite from taking our lives. We are not worth your time. Go now and rest, for we are cursed to walk the earth while you have the opportunity to sleep in the world you once walked. Sleep,” the Shadow soothed.

One of the revenants walked up to the Shadow and said, “Pretty words, lordling of death. Your master might have had power over us, but //you//? I think not. We still hunger for your blood, and he is not here to protect you now.”

“I don’t need protecting!” the Shadow grabbed the revenant’s face and it disintegrated into curls of purple flame. “Anyone else?! If you go now, you will find peace. If not, you will walk the Shadowlands for all eternity.”

The other revenants hesitated and then bowed. Gerion bowed in response, showing respect for their decision and they disappeared.

Meanwhile, lightning struck Nick and Elek and they crumpled to the floor.

Startled by the lighting, Iis lost grip of the pendant she played with in her hands. The chain slipped between her trembling fingers and fell to the floor, this time into silence. The metal on ice collision made a dull pop. She picked it up cautiously. It was not the delicate clink she had expected but instead the cheap sound of plastic. This necklace was fake.

The Shadow knew that they had to take down the sphere of anti-magic. He poked his sword at the globe tentatively and drew it back, observing no markings. He took a quick step back and jumped into the sphere, rolling forward into it and up onto his feet. The glowing form of Rey was standing inside the sphere, regarding Gerion with a smile.

“Hello, little brother,” the Fox said, amused.

“Uh... hi? Didn’t you die? I felt it.”

“Funny thing about that," Rey laughed. "I guess you could say that I’m //mostly// dead.”

“Well, I suppose I couldn’t get rid of you that easily,” the Shadow grinned.

“Oh, little brother," Rey chuckled, "You have no //idea// how hard it’s going to be to get rid of me. Need some help?”

“I would venture to say yes. I’m inside a sphere of anti-magic. How are you here if you are magic?”

“Magic and anti magic are but two sides of the same coin. Shall we take this down?”

Gerion nodded.

“Trust me?” Rey asked.

“Always.”

Rey smiled, reflecting on how far the young man had come in so little time. There would be time later to tell Gerion how proud he was. “Drive //Howler// into the center.”

Quickly walking to the center, the Shadow unsheathed the heavy bastard sword and drove it into the center of the circle with all his might. A huge explosion of light and sound came from the sphere and the pommel of the sword clinked to the ground, the rest solely ash.

Lightning continued to strike around the heroes, some of them dodging, some standing steadfast in the midst of the storm. Talos drew his sword and tossed it to Consil, who was still in the mech suit. He caught it neatly in one hand. Talos nodded and hoped that Consil would understand.

Consil’s eyes darted around the top of the castle, looking for the highest point, when suddenly, Andresa conjured a bolt of lightning directly at Consil. It arced from her fingers in a thick vine, impacting his mech suit and knocking him backwards. The gauges in his suit overloaded and the screens began to crack. He sneered at Andresa and hurled the claymore through her, killing her instantly and pinning her to the middle tower. The lightning began to arch toward her as opposed to the heroes.

“Come out, Glacies. You coward,” the Shadow yelled angrily.

Ryan added, “Fight us fairly.”

Glacies’ disembodied voice laughed. “And when has fighting fairly ever gotten anyone anywhere?”

“Ah,” a familiar voice said. Arden. “You want fair, do you? I can arrange that.” In a burst of light, Glacies appeared, apparently still internally fighting with himself.

Rielan ran toward Glacies, staying in his human form, pulling out his sword. “I must do this as me and not //him//.” He threw his sword into the arm of Glacies. In response, Glacies tore a javelin of ice from the tower with a gesture and sent it toward Rielan, piercing him in the chest. Rielan’s body froze as he stumbled back. Glacies conjured a chunk of ice and hurled it toward Rielan, catching him in the torso and knocking him off the castle.

The Shadow hurriedly dashed to the sword on the ground, hefting it in his hand. He took a quick look at the pommel, noticing the same wolf’s head as //Howler//. He closed his eyes for but a second and then returned to reality with a knowing look on his face.

The red veins continued to pulse in Glacies’ face and Arden said, “Now. All of you. Now. Or all will be lost.”

Veronika, without question, shot a wall of fire at Glacies, which was quickly followed by Esme’s obsidian arrow. Ryan drew his sword and charged into battle, yelling, “Victory!”

Talos, chuckling at Ryan’s morale, drew his short sword and strode alongside Ryan. Nott leapt into the fray, a snarl on her muzzle. She attached herself to Glacies’ other arm, savaging it.

The Shadow raised two hands, calling magic toward them, forming two spheres of radiating, opalescent light that grew and formed one sphere that began to grow as well. The Shadow, sweat dripping from his brow, pushed the sphere toward Glacies. It moved very slowly toward the immobilized Glacies. “Hold him!” the Shadow yelled as he crumpled to his knees.

“On it,” said Consil. He rushed up to the mage and stuck both arms under his opponent’s arms, locking his metal hands behind his neck.

Ryan and Talos stabbed their swords in unison through Glacies’ chest, impaling him.

Suddenly, a wave of darkness flew over the wall. It passed over Glacies, who let out a gurgling scream as his jugular vein was severed. Arden gasped, “Thank you. Now leave!”

In the Shadow’s mind, the Fox’s voice said, “You do have a deadline. Tick, tock.”

Looking up, the Shadow said, “Consil, let go. Everyone, out.”

Everyone took to their heels as the castle began to melt. “Brother, come on,” Rielan extended a hand to the Shadow.

“No. I need to finish this. I’ll be out, trust me. Nott, you too. Go,” the Shadow responded.

Rielan nodded and padded away, with Nott at his heels. Then, Glacies’ shattered form crawled for a second. His motion was answered by dark tendrils latching him to the melted floor. The ball of magic that had moved so slowly finally reached Glacies. It poured into the body, but only Glacies was destroyed. The castle began to melt even faster. The Shadow ran over to the body, placing dark hands on it. He yelled out, “Come back!” as the body began to regenerate. A red light coursed into the body, appearing from the very air around it. The body shuddered and sat up.

“No!” Arden shouted. “What are you doing!?”

“Letting you live,” the Shadow said, confused.

“Who says I want to? What gives you the right to decide this for me?” Arden was clearly filled with anxiety.

“I just thought I should give you the option. I have no right to decide on your life.”

“I’ve spent the last ten thousand years imprisoned. Will this give me freedom? Or will I merely be trapped upon this island, isolated from all?” Arden cried.

“Of that I cannot say. It is your life. You may be isolated under your own choice. You are no longer attached to the island or the Forum.”

Arden looked into the Shadow’s eyes. “You know something of isolation, I see. Very well. I will accept your gift thankfully.”

Inside the Shadow’s head, the Fox’s voice rang out with an amused, “Tick, tock.”

The Shadow looked up and saw the Forum looming over them, falling fast. “Oh, hell. We have to go. Now.”

The Shadow dashed over to the unconscious lumps that were Elek and Nick, grabbing them both by the scruff of the neck. They quickly dissipated into the shadows and appeared at the base of the castle, Elek and Nick abruptly woken by their travel through the dark world.

Arden looked at Consil, clearly concerned. “I don’t think we can get out in time.”

“Time.” Consil stepped out of his mech suit. “I have an idea.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an onyx and sapphire pocket watch. He pressed the fob, causing the watch to spring open. The world seemed to dissolve away and the forms of Consil and Arden disappeared, but did not reappear.

The rest of the party waited as long as they could for Consil and Arden to appear, but finally, they realized it was too late. They ran and dove as the Forum crashed onto Fyriah, throwing up a cloud of icy particles.

Nick, still woozy, said, “Let’s check it out.”

“Are you ever going to know what subtlety is?” the Shadow said, throwing his head back and laughing.

They approached the Forum and noticed that a door was open. They cautiously entered. The interior of the Forum looked much as it had. The large table was still in the center, but books, papers, food and detritus were strewn across the floor. On the table, the Shadow saw a gleam of gold underneath a piece of parchment. He walked over to open it, finding a golden fox ring beside it.

The Shadow read the note silently to himself.

//I, Reynaldo Vulponi, being of sound mind and body, do hereby bequeath all my worldly possessions and holdings, including my villa in Remia, to Gerion Sha save for the portion of my fortune that has already been set aside for my nephew, Alessio and any nephews and nieces to come. Let this notice serve as the testament of my will, signed by my hand this day,// //Reynaldo Vulponi//

//PS: Gerion, I know that your first reaction may be to reject this offer. I beg of you to look at this as a gift rather than a burden. Through this, I give you joy, beauty, connection, family and love. You have changed, brother of my soul. Embrace those changes and accept that which I offer you. Please, if you loved me at all, do this for me.// //Rey//

The Shadow smirked, pocketing the letter and the ring, and facing the group, who were bewildered by the disheveled Forum. “What should be done?”

A shimmer appeared in the air and the Fox’s form materialized, glowing purple and gold. “Might I suggest reforming the alliance and using the Forum as a meeting place?”

Ryan looked over. “Fox? Aren’t you dead?”

The Fox grinned, “Define dead. I, myself, am often surprised at life’s little mysteries. Or, in this case, //death’s// little mysteries.”

The Shadow spoke up. “He’s not alive. More like an imprint. A ghost, if you will. People with magic in excess have the ability to enjoy life after death. In a way.”

The Fox smiled. “Think of me as a spirit guide. A teacher of sorts. But I would disagree with the Shadow on one point, because ghosts can’t do this.” The Fox produced a sheathe of letters and handed them to Gerion. “My brother, I would not have you do this task when it was my responsibility. But if you would please see that these letters get to the families of the heroes who died defending Pyrosium, I would be in your debt.”

The Shadow nodded his head. “Of course.”

“so, can I get those subtlety lessons?” Nick asked.

The Fox laughed. “I would sooner try to teach a pig to sing, my friend. It’s a lost cause.”

“Can you teach us how to get home? It would be very much appreciated, seeing as how no one knows I’m here,” Ryan added.

Nick offered himself to those who needed him to get home. Elek set off to form ice boats for the rest.

The Shadow was pawing through the letters. “How come there isn’t a letter for Fevrea’s family?”

“Was she an orphan?” Talos queried.

The Fox chuckled. “No, Talos, she had a family... //has// a family. The logical reason? She’s not dead.”

“Oh? And what of Consil and Arden?” the Shadow asked.

The Fox’s brow contracted in concern. “Consil and Arden...well, that’s a more //interesting// problem. One that they will have to figure out on their own." the Fox paused. "Well done. All of you. And Shadow, thank you.”

“No, no, my name is Gerion. It always has been.”