Chapter Thirteen: Frozen
Three days had passed since Kahmu, Xandra and Gwen had set forth for Drakkar Lake, in hopes of finding Gwen's companions and reuniting with them. The weather had been on their side, with very few snow storms and blizzard hindering their journey. Due to this, the time it took for them to reach the border between the Norrhart Domains and Drakkar Lake had been significantly reduced.
During their time together, the group had shared stories of their travels. Gwen told them of her childhood and her tragic enslavement to the Charr, and Kahmu spoke of how he started his life in Vabbi, before moving to Tyria in search of worthy competitors to fight. Xandra simple spoke of the war and rivalry between the Luxons and the Kurzicks, and the vast history between the two factions. The three soon became close and even taught each other new forms of fighting techniques, each from their respective cultures. Gwen learned how to wield a two-handed weapon, and she learned how to use it to disarm, cripple, and wear down her foes while holding up an impenetrable defence. In return, she taught them her own very unique fighting style incorporating acrobatics and agility, two factors which caused her to be so agile in battle. Xandra also taught Gwen how to better manage her energy and her spells, so that she wouldn't wear herself out to quickly in a fight. All these skills were extremely beneficial to Gwen, and she was grateful to her new allies.
"We are close to the border now." Kahmu said once the sun set after yet another day of travel.
"Yes, I can see the tip." added Xandra. "We should be there by late morning tomorrow."
"At last," sighed Gwen. "I'm getting a bit sick of the snow." she wrapped the fur coat she had acquired from Gunnar's Hold tighter around her shoulders as a chilling breeze surrounded them. During the night, the temperature dropped severely, and it had been difficult to maintain a fire, let alone keep themselves warm.
"How far till Sifhalla from there?" asked Gwen.
"About a day's walk." replied Kahmu. "We are not far."
The three of them found appropriate shelter to keep them covered throughout the night and set up camp. They managed to get a small fire going but the cold air was not helping. Gwen volunteered to stay awake first to keep it going while the other two got some sleep, agreeing to take turns in shifts.
Gwen poked at the fire, contemplating her thoughts on what was to come. She wondered if Kyte and the others had managed to rally the norn to their cause yet, or if they were having difficulty. The norn were a proud race, and certainly not one to ask for help, but where things were going with the Destroyers, even Gwen knew the norn couldn't handle it on their own. A slight tremor woke Gwen from her thoughts and she peered into the darkness. The tremor shook again, and Gwen knew this time that something was coming. She got to her feet and circled around the fire, trying to make out what was in the distance. Suddenly, all she saw as a dark black shadow coming down, and she just managed to roll out of the way as the head of a massive spiked club crashed into the ground beside her. The attack instantly awoke Kahmu and Xandra, who took a moment to scramble to their feet.
"MOVE!" Gwen cried out, as two more clubbed weapons smashed down around them. Out of the darkness and into the fire's dim light, Gwen saw that it was three Jotun giants that were attacking them, and she saw their faces: deformed, vicious, and murderous. But something was not right. Their eyes were pearly white, and their bodies were frosty, like they had been dead in the snow for a long time.
Gwen withdrew her weapon in preparation to defend herself, but one of the Jotun giants reached out an icy hand and grasped Kahmu around his waist, disarming him instantly and dragging him off into the night.
"What in Balthazar was that?" Xandra cried out moments later when the Jotuns had vanished into the night.
"They took Kahmu." said Gwen. "We have to pursue."
"It's way too dark!" said Xandra. "How are we supposed to follow?"
"We have to!" Gwen said, grabbing Xandra by the arm and looking directly into her eyes. "You know he would do the same for us."
"You're right." Xandra said, picking up a broken branch and dipping it into the fire. "This will give us light temporarily, but we have to move quickly."
Gwen snuffed out the rest of the fire as Xandra moved off into the night in pursuit of the Jotuns and Kahmu, while Gwen picked up Kahmu's fallen scythe. The two of them waded through the darkness following the large Jotun footprints in the snow.
"They can't have gotten far." Xandra said after a while.
"We crossed over into Drakkar Lake a few minutes back." said Gwen. "I think we're in their territory now."
"Be careful." warned Xandra. "Ears sharp."
Gwen did not understand why a group of Jotun giants would want to kidnap Kahmu, but somehow, when she glimpsed them in the light, they were different. They weren't like any kind of Jotun she had seen before. They seemed… possessed, or controlled even.
"I never knew the Jotun had the smarts to kidnap someone." said Gwen.
"These were obviously different." said Xandra, slowing her pace. The footprints had led towards the mouth of a cave opening, and Xandra and Gwen halted their march.
"What do you think?"
"We've got no backup, and we can't just leave him down there." replied Gwen.
"Good point." Xandra then threw the lit torch into the mouth of the cave, to see how far the darkness went. "It's far."
"Like I said," said Gwen, moving into the cave. "we got no backup, it's just us." Xandra followed her in, and Gwen picked up the torch that they had thrown inside; their only source of light.
The cave seemed to go on for ages, but eventually, the path ahead had a light at the end of the tunnel. Gwen snuffed out the torch they were carrying as they carefully and quietly approached the end of the tunnel. As they peeked through the exit, they saw that the cave ended in a large circular room, completely covered in ice. They saw the three Jotuns doing something, but they could not make out what. It was then that Gwen spotted Kahmu, who was strung up against an ice spire. He was unconscious and not moving.
"What's the plan?" whispered Xandra.
"You tell me." said Gwen. "You think we can take those three?" The Jotuns were large creatures. Gwen and Xandra barely reached a little above their knees.
"They're a lot bigger than norn." muttered Gwen. "And I thought the norn were difficult to fight…"
"They're not as smart." Xandra pointed out.
"True."
"We can't stand around here forever, we need to get Kahmu out of here!" Xandra hissed. At that moment, Gwen felt a chill in the air, and she was beginning to hear whispers echoing around the cave.
"What is that?" she asked, looking to Xandra, who was looking around the cave herself, obviously stumped at where the voices were coming from. However, the longer Gwen listened to this voice, the more she was drawn to it. It was like it was enticing her to follow the sound.
"Come to me…" she heard it whisper in her ear. She began to lose all her thoughts and actions, and every part of her wanted to follow the voice, but when she looked down, she saw Kahmu, who had begun to writher and squirm. Something was surrounding him, a dark aura of black mist. Gwen couldn't quite make out what it was doing, but her senses snapped back to her and she focused.
"Xandra!" she cried out, slapping her across the face. The Ritualist was stunned, but seemed to return to her senses as well. "Let's go!" Gwen drew Kahmu's scythe from her back and twirled it in her hands. She slid down the ice and charged towards the Jotuns, the scythe dancing at her side. She swung low at first, aiming for the feet. Gwen's attack sliced through the first Jotun's leg, crippling it and sending it roaring to the ground in pain. The second Jotun however, wasn't so stupid. Seeing Gwen attack, it stepped out of the way just in time and countered with a earth-shattering blow to the ground, causing the ice below Gwen's feet to shudder and crack. She lost her balance and fell to the ground, the scythe sliding away from her along the slippery ice. Gwen thought it was all over until Xandra appeared in front of her, casting a spirit rift between her and her foe. The rift's electrical charge exploded in the Jotun's face, causing it to reel backwards in pain, covering its eyes in the process.
Gwen saw her chance to recover and scrambled to her feet, picking up the fallen scythe and wielding it in her right arm. She saw the third Jotun charging towards Xandra, its massive club hovering in the air above its head. Using her free hand, Gwen cast a spell causing the spirit shackles to shoot up from the ground; numerous chains binding themselves around the charging Jotun and dragging it to the ground, where it remained unable to move. With two of the three Jotun's lying on the icy ground, Gwen and Xandra were able to focus on taking out their leader: the white-skinned Jotun. The white Jotun roared in fury and swung his spiked club out in front of him, and Gwen and Xandra were barely able to avoid the attack. Xandra cast a weapon spell, causing her weapon attacks to strike for double the damage. She raised her staff to attack, and struck the Jotun on the side of his knee. Gwen heard a sickening crack as the bones in the Jotun's leg were all but shattered. The creature wailed in pain as it toppled to the ground. Gwen saw her chance and raced forwards, the scythe in hand. She curled the blade of the scythe around the Jotun's throat and pulled, finally silencing the giant.
With the three Jotuns down, Gwen rushed over to Kahmu, who was still writhing and shaking under this black smoky aura. Gwen looked into his eyes and saw that they were pure white. Something or someone was trying to possess him, and by the looks of it, it was the same thing that had been controlling the Jotuns.
"Kahmu, snap out of it!" she cried out to him, but received no response. She began to free him from his binds and released him from the spire he was tied to, and he simply collapsed in her arms. Xandra rushed over and attempted some restoration magic, but nothing was working.
"We need to get him out of here, to Sifhalla." said Gwen, draping one arm over her shoulder, while Xandra took the other. Together, they hauled Kahmu out of the cave and into the morning light of Drakkar Lake.
"How far to Sifhalla?"
"A day, by the looks of it." muttered Xandra. "But if we can pass through that mountain, we might make it in half." she nodded towards a large snow-capped mountain across the frozen Drakkar Lake.
"Do you think he'll make it in half?" asked Gwen.
"He's got to."
Mustering all their strength, Gwen and Xandra worked together to move Kahmu across the snow fields and across the lake. Gwen looked down at the lake that they were now walking on, which had been frozen solid completely.
"Will the ice break?" she asked as they made the first few steps onto the lake.
"No." replied Xandra. "The lake has been frozen for decades, perhaps centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire lake is frozen from top to bottom." Those words eased Gwen's mind a little, but she could feel something around them, a dark presence of some kind, lingering around the lake itself.
"Something isn't right here." she whispered. "It feels like the same thing that we heard whispering to us in the cave."
"Keep going." Xandra said. "The mountain cave is not far."
The two of them approached the entrance to the cave an hour later, both of them tiring after carrying an incapacitated Kahmu all the way across Drakkar Lake. As soon as they reached the entrance, they set him down against a rock and took a break. Xandra checked up on Kahmu to make sure he was still alive, before giving Gwen a satisfying nod.
Hang in there, Kahmu, she thought to herself. There was no way in hell that she was going to allow another companion of hers die. Not this time.
After a while, they continued on through the mountain's cave. The presence Gwen had felt on the lake was still around, and Gwen couldn't shake the feeling that something was following them or at least, watching them. She looked to Xandra, who gave Gwen an agreeing look that something was not right.
"I'd rather be out there than in here, to be honest." said Gwen, looking around the cave. It wasn't completely covered in ice, like the Jotun's cave, and it was significantly larger, but Xandra seemed to know where she was going, and Gwen simply followed. They continued to walk in silence, and Gwen was keeping her senses aware, ready and expecting for anything to jump out at them. She couldn't pin-point it, but she had a bad feeling, and it was only growing.
"Xandra, I think we need to stop."
"No, keep going." Xandra said. "Once we're out of the cave, we'll be safe."
"You're telling me we're not safe now?"
"Gwen, Kahmu is in bad shape, if we don't get him some help now, he surely won't make it."
"Something is watching us Xandra." Gwen said. "I can feel it."
"I feel it too, but-" at that moment, Kahmu's eyes snapped open, and he roared, throwing his arms into the air and knocking both Gwen and Xandra backwards. Gwen looked up and saw Kahmu standing over them, a rage coming over him. His eyes were glowing an icy blue, and the dark aura Gwen had seen back in the Jotun cave was surrounding him, feeding off him. It was controlling him.
"Kahmu!" shouted Gwen, crawling backwards to safety, and with Xandra right next to her, she scrambled to her feet, holding her hands out in front of her, to show Kahmu that they were not going to harm him. "You've got to resist it, Kahmu, don't let it consume you!"
Kahmu simply stared at them, a murderous and terrifying look dwelling in his eyes. He began to walk towards them slowly, his fist curled into a ball. Gwen and Xandra backed off slowly, none of them sure of what to do.
"We can't harm him." said Gwen, disregarding the thought to draw her weapon.
"Well he looks bent on harming us." replied Xandra.
"He has to resist it, I know he can."
"Whatever's possessing him has pretty good control."
"No." Gwen began chanting a spell, and a purple light formed in front of Kahmu, preventing him from moving forward. The possessed Kahmu touched the barrier and felt it, before shattering it without so much as a single touch. He then jumped forward and grasped Xandra around the neck, squeezing hard. The Ritualist gasped for breath and clawed at his grip, but it was tight, and he showed no signs of letting her go.
"Kahmu, no!" Gwen cried out. She tried to pull him away from Xandra, but the possessed Kahmu did not even give her a second glance as he backhanded her into the wall behind them. Gwen slid to the ground, her head spinning. She tried to get up, but her whole body ached in pain. She watched as Kahmu continued to strangle Xandra, who was now on her knees, the light in her eyes disappearing slowly…
All of a sudden, Kahmu roared in pain and released the Ritualist. He gripped his head and dropped to his knees, Xandra collapsing beside him, unconscious. He writhed and squirmed, fighting the thing that was controlling him.
"No!" he cried out, clutching his head tighter. "Get… OUT!" he screamed and the black aura around him began to fade, and Gwen, who was still having trouble adjusting her vision, swore she saw the face of a dragon shriek as the spirit left Kahmu's body and dissipated into thin air. Kahmu crumpled to the floor and remained there, not moving. Gwen regained her strength and got to her feet, rushing over to see if her friends were ok. She turned Xandra over onto her back, where the Ritualist began coughing and gasping, clutching her throat.
"You alright?" asked Gwen. Xandra simply nodded and sat upright, pointing to Kahmu.
"Make sure he's okay." she gasped. Gwen turned Kahmu over and checked his pulse to make sure he was still alive. She felt something, but it was faint. He needed help immediately, and Sifhalla wasn't getting any closer.
"We have to get going Xandra." said Gwen, hauling Kahmu to his feet. "Can you walk?"
Xandra simply nodded, still coughing, and helped Gwen carry Kahmu through the cave. Gwen swore she saw the spirit leave Kahmu's body, but she could still feel its presence lingering. Whatever this thing was, it was persistent, and it clearly wanted one of them, if not all of them dead. Her memory flashed back to when she saw Kahmu fighting the spirit. When Kahmu had managed to expel the spirit from his body, she was sure she saw the face of a dragon for a brief moment, but perhaps it was her mind playing tricks on her. Why would it have been a dragon? Dragons hadn't been seen in Tyria for centuries. The only dragons in existence that she knew of was the dragon Glint who resided in the Crystal Desert, and even then very few have ever seen her in person. Then there was the dragon Kuunavang, who she had only read about in books.
They picked up the pace, hurrying to get Kahmu the help he needed. The cave seemed to go on forever, but by using Xandra's guidance, she knew exactly where to go. They rounded a corner, and Gwen saw the exit to the cave just over a bridge that was over a wide chasm.
"We're nearly there." she breathed, pointing to the bridge. "Quickly-" her words were cut short when all of a sudden a large creature appeared before them in a cloud of black smoke. Gwen recognized the beast instantly as it roared loudly. It was the very same ice bear that had attacked Captain Langmar and the Ebon Vanguard patrol.
"Get back!" she cried out, staggering backwards. The combined weight of Kahmu and Xandra losing her balance caused them all to fall to the ground, just as the bear let out another ear-piercing shriek. It leaned down on all fours and stared into Gwen's eyes. She did not move, and she did not breath as she stared back into what she was sure was death itself.