~ floor thirty ~
"It's only cold if you're standing still."
Shel woke up with a groan. Her eyes fluttered open, seeming drowsy as she looked up at the demigod who stood over her.
He'd simply placed her against the cliff side so she could sit, since he figured it was useless trying to tie her up. Percy watched her with a hint of curiosity as she tried to regain her bearings. Shel coughed, holding a hand to her bruised face.
"Ow." She moaned, grimacing. "What the hell happened?"
"You lost." said Percy, leaning against the wall next to her. It had been about an hour since her defeat, so he'd recovered some of his stamina. Not nearly enough to be at full strength though. He'd healed his arm some, but it still felt like pins and needles every few seconds. Nothing more than a minor annoyance though. Surprisingly, Shel's bruises were beginning to fade rather quickly, though she still seemed out of it.
"No shit." Shel grumbled, adjusting her sitting position with a wince. She glanced up at him through her auburn locks. They were a little singed from the lightning. "What kinda trick was that?"
"The kind I won't reveal." Percy shrugged. "Besides, I won, and you said you'd answer my questions if I did."
She gave him an exaggerated eye-roll. "I don't even remember the question."
"I do." said Percy. "Why were you hunting me?"
Shel shrugged, wincing in the process. "Arnan sent me to test you, to kill you if possible." she admitted.
"It clearly wasn't very possible." he snarked, earning himself a scowl from the woman. Percy sat down on a rock a few feet away from her, his legs shaking a little due to his sheer exhaustion. He'd put on his mask again, in case she didn't actually know who he was. "Are you related to him at all?" he asked.
A brief look of uncertainty and hurt flashed across her expression, before she schooled her features, but he'd spotted in nonetheless. "I'm his only daughter." Shel said, crossing her arms. She gazed out into the fog that covered the icy plains like a blanket.
Percy hummed in understanding, scratching his chin. He'd have to shave again soon. "I take it he's not an easygoing father?" asked the demigod, causing her to huff out a humorless laugh.
"No, he's not." she replied. "Very strict, doesn't give me an allowance, all that."
He chuckled. "Sounds harsh."
"You have no idea." she sighed.
A thought suddenly came to him, one he didn't like. He shifted on the rock, leaning back. "Are you the boss of this floor?" he asked. If she was, it would make things easier and harder at the same time. He could kill her right here, and the door would open. They'd progress to the next floor, and he'd be one step closer to the surface. However, due to her iron skin, he'd have to find a way to actually kill her, which would likely be rather gruesome. Not that he'd never taken that path before, but he didn't like it.
Shel shook her head. "No, I don't even live on this floor most of the time. The actual boss lives there, I'm sure." She pointed at the mountain in the distance, both their gazes lingering on it a for silent seconds. Percy sighed, feeling strangely relieved for some reason.
"Alright." said Percy, clapping his hands together. He stood up from the rock. "It's been nice and all, but I'm going now."
"You're not going to... well, kill me?" Shel asked, seeming surprised. Percy shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. "Don't know." he replied. "It wouldn't feel right killing a defenseless opponent like this. Besides, you seem nice enough."
Shel's eyebrow twitched when she heard that comment. "I'm going to try to kill you again." she said. "Probably soon, too."
"I'll cross that bridge when I get there." he replied. "Besides, you'd lose again anyways."
"Wh-" Shel sputtered, rearing back in indignation. "You wish! If not for that little light trick you pulled back there, I would've won for sure!"
"Keep telling yourself that." said Percy, glancing at the mountain, distracted for a second. "Say, do you know anything about the boss?"
Shel seemed to have calmed down a little. She'd raised her legs to hug her knees to her chest. "Not really. It's an ice mage, judging by the weather." she replied. Percy nodded; his suspicions were the same. He doubted the boss would be on the same level as Arnan or even Shel though, so he wouldn't worry about it too much. Now, all he wanted was to go home. He was exhausted and his arm hurt. He turned around and began to walk away from the woman, who hadn't moved.
He'd have to walk a few miles to an area where the cliff merged with a hill or something, so he could get back to the village. He wasn't climbing that cliff here, that was for sure. Behind him, Shel called out in protest. "Are you just going to leave me here?" she yelled. "I could die, you know?"
"That's the idea." Percy replied.
"You'd leave a fair maiden in the cold, all by herself?"
"When I see one, I'll make sure to save her."
They went back and forth for a time, until Percy had walked out of earshot. He was sure she'd survive, hell, he doubted anything below lieutenant level couldn't bring her down. He walked for a while, around half an hour, before he noticed an area near the cliff that was less steep. It was still slippery and made of sharp rocks, but he supposed it was better than nothing. At the top, the green canopy of the familiar trees stuck out over the edge of the cliff.
After ascending that part, and reaching the familiar territory of the snowy forest again, he could relax a little. He'd still been relatively close to the forest, so he knew where he was, somewhat. Percy kept walking, using certain landmarks he'd noticed during his stay here as directions, until he finally broke through the final line of trees that marked the border of the village.
It looked just as it had done when he left it, though he didn't see many people. This time of day wasn't very busy anyway. He descended the hill and sneaked through a row of houses, before ducking into the main road. He followed the path to Eliza and Sasha's house, something he'd done nearly every day. When he arrived, entering the house, he found the others practically waiting at the door, and they immediately swarmed him with questions and theories.
"Are you alright?"
"Who was that?"
"Did you win?"
Percy shrugged off different parts of his armor, placing them in the cabinet he'd been given. He must not have looked very good, judging by the concerned stares he was receiving. Looking down at his hands, he saw that the bandages wrapped around them were bloody and stained with dirt. His blood or Shel's, he didn't know. He looked back up at his friends as he walked toward one of the couches.
"I am alright, thanks for asking." he sighed, unceremoniously sinking into an arm chair. He tugged his mask off and placed it on the table. "I did win, and it wasn't Arnan."
His friends quickly sat down in the other sofas. "Then who was it?" asked Ember, frowning.
Percy gave them a watered down version of what had happened; how he'd been attacked by the woman, her strange ability, and how he'd won. When he finished, his friends were all deep in thought, though Ember seemed slightly annoyed. She leaned forward, using her knees as support, frowning at him.
"This Shel person, you just left her there? Alive?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Yeah, I did."
"What if she's a threat?"
"She most definitely is, but I wasn't going to beat some person to death. Don't need that image in my brain."
He thought back to the incident with the drakon who'd killed Cyrene, and a shiver ran up his spine. That wasn't something he was planning to do again. Ember seemed to accept his answer, albeit a little begrudgingly. Soon after, Sasha and Eliza entered the room as well, and he had to run the story by them too. They didn't have much input, but supported him either way. He appreciated that.
It was sometime past noon when he went out again. He wasn't planning to hunt any monsters, but he did have some thinking to do. Percy was starting to doubt his decision to let Shel live, but eventually he chose to stand by it. He wasn't some murderer going on a killing spree, he was supposed to be a hero.
With only his weapons hanging off his belt, he trudged through the thick snow that covered the forest floor. He'd noticed that the trees actually seemed to thrive in this kind of weather, which was a little strange. He passed his little clearing, but didn't stop there, he kept walking until he found what he was looking for. It took him around an hour before he noticed the forest coming to end.
As he stepped beyond the treeline, a wave of chilling cold hit him. The frozen plains lay before him, dead and barren. He realized it must have been a frozen lake, since nothing else would freeze over so perfectly like this. As he took a few steps onto the ice, he sensed how thick it was. It was impressive, honestly. In the distance stood the mountain, an odd bump in the flat horizon.
Tomorrow he'd try to cross it again, he decided. He dreaded it, but it had to be done. As far as he knew, the lake got colder and colder the further inwards you traveled. That's why the edges, where Percy stood, were somewhat manageable. He'd go alone, that's for sure. No reason to risk his friends' lives over a hunch, they'd get their chance to fight soon enough. He just wanted to see what they were up against.
After a few more minutes of pondering, he turned and began heading back to the village. He had to prepare a plan, and the needed supplies. He had a lurking feeling that tomorrow would be an eventful day, whether that be a good thing, or a very bad thing.
When morning came, the demigod was up at first light. Yesterday, he'd told the others of his plan. They were hesitant, obviously, but eventually they had to agree. None of them wanted to stay in the cold forever, and they had been sitting still for far too long. They were ready to leave this snowy floor behind, though Percy had a feeling this wouldn't be the last they'd see of the cold weather. Arnan ruled over a dozen more floors, after all.
Speaking of the lieutenant, Percy wondered where he was hiding. He'd sent his daughter after him, but didn't bother to show up himself. Chances were he was underestimating Percy severely after their little fight over a month ago. He could use that to his advantage though. Percy was confident that if they clashed again, the outcome would be different. He was different.
Eliza and Sasha had given him new clothes, ones suited to withstand the cold. A thick brown coat laced with grey fur and a scarf to wrap around his neck. He'd also prepared a small bag with some food and water, in case he needed to camp out for a few nights. He dreaded having to sleep in that barren wasteland. As he fastened the straps on the back of his mask, he mentally thanked Ember for repairing it once again. He was seriously starting to hate wearing it.
He slowly flexed his right hand, the one he'd used to land the finishing blow on Shel. It felt as good as new, and it looked that way too. He wondered where she was then, if she'd made it back to her father to report. In truth, Percy wanted Aran to know he was coming for him. It kept the lieutenant on his toes, and forced Percy to keep his promise.
And he'd start by killing that boss.
When Percy exited the house, feeling the cold wash over him, he noticed that his friends were already waiting for him. He'd told them to gather their stuff in advance, in case he did beat the boss today. They'd packed their belongings into backpacks and gotten a new set of clothes, replacing their old and worn ones. Eliza had even supplied Agis with a saddle, and even though that might become complicated due to the fact that the cat liked to transform, Percy appreciated it either way. The saddlebags were filled with what he assumed was food and water.
He walked over to Ember, who was watching Lohi talking to Agis in a hushed tone. "You alright?" asked Percy. She jumped a little, surprised at the sudden interruption, but relaxed when she met his eyes.
"Yeah." Ember said, crossing her arms. "It's too cold in this place. No offense to Eliza and all, but I've seen enough."
He nodded. "Agreed. Hopefully the next floor is a tropical island or something." he joked.
Ember rolled her eyes. "You jinxed it." she said. "Now we're going to freeze to death."
"Not on my watch." he replied, giving her pat on the head. He spotted Nathaniel, who was swinging his sword around, aiming for nothing in particular. He'd been getting a lot better with it recently, since he liked to spar with Lohi and all. It was an interesting match-up to watch; Nate with his Fey sword and Lohi with the pitch black greatsword.
He took a step forward and clapped his hands to gain everyone's attention. Agis bounded over to him, nuzzling his head into his palm. Percy chuckled, giving the sabretooth a few pats before continuing. "Alright, I'm off." he said.
"Good luck, you'll need it." Lohi replied, causing him to roll his eyes.
"Just make sure you don't lose another arm." Nate said monotonously, with his back turned towards them. He was looking up at the forest on the hill, where they could see the Clacia trees. "You'd look awfully pitiful with two metal ones."
"I appreciate your continued support." Percy said sarcastically. "Just watch out for the signal."
The signal was something he'd planned if he did encounter the boss, and he ended up defeating it. He'd send out a lightning bolt high into the sky, powerful enough so that his friends could spot it from their campsite. The rest was supposed to stay in the village, watching the skies and borders for any changes. He didn't know what effect the boss' death would have on the floor, since he suspected that the weather was caused by it. If that disappeared, what would happen? Chances were the lake would turn back to water, so he'd have to walk all the way around to get back.
He briefly said goodbye to all of them individually, before jogging away from the house. When he reached the border, he cleared the hill in one leap, landing in the enchanted forest beyond. Percy rolled his shoulder, the one attached to the metal arm, grunting at the odd feeling. The area where his arm used to be was itching, or aching, he couldn't quite explain it. He chalked it up to phantom pains, and moved on.
He reached the edge of the forest quite quickly. Looking down on the frozen plain from the hill he stood on, he realized he must be a few hours west from the fortress. Percy slid down the hill, dodging rocks and loose boulders before he skidded out onto the ice. As he came to a stop, he felt the potent cold trying to penetrate his clothes. Chilly, sharp and definitely not natural. Ignoring that voice in the back of his head, the one telling him that this was a bad idea, he marched into the foggy wasteland.
The cold was numbing. Percy could see his breath coming out in visible puffs, and every inhale felt like it would freeze his lungs shut. Every few minutes or so, he flared his healing or some lightning, just to get warmth running through his limbs again. He felt as if the clothes he was wearing were paper thin, as opposed to the thick leather and cotton they were actually made of.
He let out a frustrated grunt, stomping on the ice below. The force of the hit echoed throughout the plains, or maybe that was just him. When he looked back, he couldn't see anything but white. The forest was nowhere to be found, there just a thick layer of fog. He turned back around and continued onward. He'd seen how big the lake was, it must've been the size of the forest, if not more. Walking around it would've taken days, and he didn't want to waste anymore time.
Some time later, Percy abruptly halted when he heard a cracking sound. He felt the ice shift behind him, and Percy rolled forward to avoid the potential threat. When he looked back though, he didn't see anything. A gust of wind washed over his face, almost freezing his lips, but he wasn't being attacked. His senses though, they were going haywire. Something wasn't quite right.
Keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword, he peered through the fog, or tried to. Despite not being able to see anything he kept trying, until he felt a powerful presence to his left. It was racing towards him, he realized, so he drew his sword and blindly slashed in the direction of the creature. His sword met some resistance, like he was dragging it through syrup, but he couldn't see a thing.
He pulled his sword free, and felt the presence vanish, leaving him standing there alone. Percy frowned, eyes darting from left to right, and wondered what that could have been. A monster with an invisibility power? He didn't know any creatures with that ability, but he wouldn't write it off just yet. He'd seen many random, strange things in this place. Next, he thought of the storm spirits, the venti. Could one of them be here?
A drop of liquid hit the ice. Percy looked down to see what it was; his blade was covered in blueish blood. It was lighter than that of the Chenook, so he rationalized that it must have been a different monster. The blood began to steam and sizzle, until it evaporated entirely. His sword was clean again. The liquid had even left a scorch mark on the ice.
Percy's eyes narrowed. He tightened his hand into a fist, and the fog around him seemed to disperse, racing away from him like it was afraid. In reality, he'd just forced it away with his power, something he didn't know he could do. In his now fog-less peripheral, he saw a flicker of movement to his right, before the shadow seemed to melt into the fog again. So it did have a body.
"You're annoying me." he said to the void. "Just come out and fight like a real... well, monster."
The monster didn't seem to like that, because a beam of mist collided with Percy's back, sending him stumbling forwards. He regained his balance, turned around, but he saw nothing. "If you're so weak that you can't fight me head-on," he taunted, "then just don't attack me at all!"
Another flash of movement; a bunch of vapor solidified into a claw and slashed at his neck, but he'd seen it coming. He leaned back, allowing the attack to soar over his head, before straightening himself again. Percy couldn't see a pattern in the monster's attacks, but he did know that it had a physical body, or at least a part of the fog that he could hurt. He just didn't know where.
He frowned. "Neat power you got there," he continued, "it's a shame you can't aim to save your life."
"Shut up!" yelled a voice to his right. Percy dodged another beam of mist, before focusing on the figure that stepped out of the fog. It wasn't a monster at all, or at least it didn't look like one. It was a boy, younger than Percy, with black hair and even blacker eyes. He was dressed in a similar fashion to Arnan and Shel; bare chested and only wearing an animal hide to cover his bottom half.
Percy sighed, anticipating what was about to occur. "Another one of Arnan's brats?" he asked, exasperated. "I've had my fill of you lot."
The boy seemed surprised, his eyes widened for a second before his mask of anger returned. "I told you to shut up." he growled, waving his hand through the fog. Another slash rocketed his way, but this time Percy simply cut through it. It dispersed like, well, fog.
"You're less powerful than Shel." Percy noted. "She's your sister, isn't she?"
"I'm far stronger than she is!" the boy snapped. "And yes, she is my sister. Not that it matters, you'll be dea-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Percy had closed the distance between them. His metal hand lashed out, backhanding the boy in the face. His face snapped to the side as his body followed, flying a few feet before landing harshly on the ice. Percy tried to spear him in the chest with Icebreaker, but the boy rolled out of the way. He sent a beam of fog at the demigod; it hit him in the chest. Percy grunted, skidding backwards on the ice.
He had to admit; the boy's power had potential, but he was inexperienced and spoiled. He could tell that the child hadn't faced a serious challenge yet, unlike Shel, who seemed to enjoy fighting stronger opponents. The boy somewhat reminded him of Marco, before he got a forceful reality check. Casually twirling his sword, he waited for the boy to get to his feet.
"Going to hide in the fog again?" he said with a raise of his eyebrows. He saw the boy's prone figure tense, his shoulders shaking. He was falling for Percy's taunts too easily, the demigod thought. Retreating into the fog would be his best bet of winning, yet the boy was too prideful to do it. He was proven correct when the son of Arnan got to his feet, holding his bloody nose. He stared at Percy, his eyes filled with burning hate.
It was then that Percy realized something; the words he'd read in that Fey book about weapons drifted through his mind. The blood of Tartarus, he thought. This boy was the son of Arnan, and therefore related to Tartarus in a way. After a short moment of hesitation, he smoothly sheathed Icebreaker, before reaching up to his shoulder. His fingers closed around Lifedrinker's hilt.
The blade was freed with one tug. Its familiar glow lit up the ice below, and the boy seemed to flinch at the sight of the weapon. Did he know its history? Percy doubted it, maybe it was just a natural reaction. Arnan had avoided the weapon too. Percy spun the sword in his hand, making a go-on gesture at his opponent with his other hand.
The younger boy's nostrils flared. His nose seemed to have stopped bleeding. He raised his hand towards the demigod, before releasing a powerful blast of vapor. Percy blinked, shielding his eyes from the particles as he was pushed back little by little. The boy followed up with a beam of solidified fog that crashed into Percy like a train. He grunted, finally having enough of this stupid power, and waved his sword-arm in a wide gesture.
The fog dispersed, and Percy glared at the boy as he wiped his eyes. It was already cold, but the kid had almost frozen his eyeballs out. "Not cool, first of all." he said. "You have potential though, I can't deny that. Tell you what, get out of the way and let me cross this lake, and I'll let you live."
"Don't underestimate me!" the boy roared. Percy frowned as he watched the boy take a few deep breaths, until he inhaled sharply, until his cheeks were puffed. He could sense the energy building up; whatever he was going to do, it was going to be the most powerful attack yet.
Suddenly the boy blew outwards, and a torrent of vapor shot out of his mouth. The breath attack engulfed Percy entirely, actually lifting him off his feet. He landed on the ice a few yards away, bouncing around until he came to a stop on one knee. Percy rubbed his chest, the spot where he'd gotten the worst of the attack, and groaned.
"Ow." he grunted, getting to his feet again. The younger boy was pale, and taking heavy breaths as sweat rolled down his forehead. He took a defensive stance when he saw the demigod getting up again, but his eyes were wide with surprise and fear.
"How?" he asked. "I put my full power behind that attack. Even my father said it was impressive!"
Percy rolled his shoulders, feeling the ache that the breath attack had caused disappear. "It wasn't bad, per se." he replied. "Just wasn't that good either. Oh, and your father's a damn liar, I wouldn't trust anything he says."
He lifted his sword, aiming the tip at the boy's head. A determined frown found its way onto his face. "Listen, kid." he said. "I don't want to kill you, but if you don't let me through right now, I'm going to have to."
He figured he'd give the boy a chance, but he wasn't going to spare him like he did with Shel. That had been an exception, with her iron skin and all. If this kid didn't run away, taking his only chance at survival, he'd do what he had to do. That's what he told himself, at least. He felt Lifedrinker hum in his palm, agreeing with his train of thought. He could practically feel the blade's thirst for blood.
The boy's expression twisted, showing his hesitation and his fear, but he stood his ground. Percy sighed.
"It doesn't matter what I want." the boy said, his voice wavering. "If I run, I'm a dead man anyway. Father would make sure of it." he stood up a little straighter, determination shining in his black eyes. The kid raised his his hand, palm forward, but Percy's speed was in an entirely different league.
A column of ice erupted from the floor below him, knocking the boy into the air. Percy closed the distance, before leaping into the sky after his opponent. He twirled, lashing out with Lifedrinker. He felt his sword make contact, and his eyes hardened. The demigod landed back on the ice, his footing steady as ever. Behind him, the boy's head fell onto the ice, leaving a trail of blue behind, before rolling to a stop. His body was laying motionlessly somewhere else, slowly turning to dust.
Percy turned, catching a glimpse of the decapitated head as it evaporated. His expression was unreadable, even to himself, and he didn't know how to feel about what he'd just done. The boy had left behind an glowing orb. It was the size of a tennisball, and light blue of color. It floated towards him, colliding with his chest, and sunk into it. He felt the rush of power, flowing from his core to his fingertips, before it settled down again.
When it was over, the reality of the situation set in. He'd just taken the life of a child, although he knew the boy had probably been much older than him. Still, he'd killed him, however forced it may have been. Percy looked down at Lifedrinker. He'd been so eager to kill the kid just a second ago, had those emotions been caused by the sword? Or were they part of him? He swallowed the lump in his throat and sheathed the blade on his back.
Around him, the fog had disappeared along with the boy's body. Percy realized that he didn't even know the kid's name. The lake was clear now, though the ice hadn't melted. The mountain stood in the distance, still as intimidating as ever, and behind him he could see the forest. He figured his actions would anger Arnan, but he wasn't too sure about that. From what the boy and Shel had said, they didn't exactly have the best relationship with their father.
He turned his glare on the ice below him. He couldn't let himself get distracted like this again. Turning towards the looming mountain, he took off in a light jog. The potent presence he felt from the mountain was still there, meaning something still resided in there. He'd kill it and be on his way, leaving this lake and his regretful actions behind.
Percy made his way across the rest of the lake relatively easily, now that the excessive cold and the fog had let up some. He made it to shore, an upwards incline that kept going up, getting steeper and steeper until it morphed into the mountain behind it. The entire thing must have covered twice the size of the lake itself, which was a real testament to how huge this mountain really was. Percy ascended the first hill, before taking a breather at its tip.
Letting his gaze drift over the vast horizon, beyond the forest behind him, he realized that he didn't exactly know what to do from here. He'd have to lure the boss out of its hiding place, but how? He couldn't sense its presence, meaning it was probably out of his range, or masking itself. The snow on the mountain was spread in sporadic patches and piles, so his make-shift radar wouldn't work very well.
He decided to continue walking, thinking that he would find something eventually. It turned out he was right when he reached the top of another hill, revealing the base of the main mass of the mountain below him. In its side, he saw several holes and cave entrances, all of which were too jagged and periodical to be natural. He spotted clawmarks on the rock, they were about a meter long and ran deep. As he walked alongside the steep mountainside, he ran his fingers along the marks. They exuded a weird aura, as if they had been infused with something.
Percy stopped in front of a particularly big cave. He couldn't quite see where it led, deep into the mountain presumably. He took a deep breath, kept his hand firmly on the hilt of his sword, and entered the cave.
Ten minutes in, he realized that this might have been a bad idea, but he'd come too far to turn back. The cave was absurdly dark, with only Lifedrinker's supernatural glow providing some light as Percy navigated his way through the tunnels. Sometimes they split in two, and he'd have to decide which one seemed less deadly. He assumed they all led to the same thing eventually, but that was wishful thinking.
A low rumble shook the tunnels, causing the floor under his feet to vibrate. A sound akin to a growl resonated from far within the mountain, and Percy prayed that it wasn't another dragon. Then again, fate had the tendency to bite him in the ass when it came to things like this. He walked on until he reached a point where the tunnel began to curve downwards, before disappearing to the right a few meters ahead.
He followed it, and quickly realized that it was spiraling down. As he continued through the spiraling tunnel, Percy heard another growl, much more potent this time. He was getting closer, he thought. The air was getting chillier by the second, causing his to shiver from time to time. It wasn't anywhere near the temperature caused by the son of Aran though. His senses were detecting a strong presence somewhere below him, though he could tell its owner was trying to hide it.
A pebble rolled alongside the wall to his right, the sound echoing through the halls like a clock. Despite the cold, a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Percy was nervous, for whatever reason. He knew the boss shouldn't be nearly as strong as Arnan, but he couldn't help it. How long had it been since he'd fought an actual boss? Giving himself a smack on the cheek, he shook himself out of his nervosity.
After taking another turn, he realized the tunnel came to a stop. In front of him, a crater had been punched in the ground, leading to a much larger cave below him. Most of it was dim, but a few strange crystals in the walls gave off light, casting the area in a blueish glow. Steeling his nerves, Percy jumped. After a drop of around twenty feet, he landed on the rocky ground below, quiet as a mouse. His eyes darted around, trying to spot movement in the darkness, but he saw nothing.
He noticed one of the glowing crystals to his left, and carefully pulled it out of the wall. It gave way surprisingly easily, as if it was waiting to be picked. The blue glass-like material felt slick and smooth in his palm, and he could spot a glowing core at its center. It gave off pulses of magic energy, the kind you'd expect from a monster or a magic object of some sort. Percy saw his own eyes reflected in the crystal for a moment, and decided to take it with him. Ember would probably like it.
He pocketed the gem and turned towards the rest of the cave. Glowing gems of all shapes and sizes were strewn across the area, with every single one possessing the same light inside. Keeping his sword in a loose hold, Percy strolled around the cave. Nothing seemed to be alive down here, despite the various growls that had been terrorizing the mountain earlier.
He realized every cave entrance he'd seen on the surface must have led here, judging by the holes littering the cave walls. That meant the mountain was full of tubes and halls, probably dug by whatever monster was hiding in here. It reminded him of an anthill, or a beehive.
A wave of hot air hit him in the back, and the hair's on his neck immediately stood up straight. Percy whirled around, sword at the ready, but was faced by nothing but darkness. Beyond that darkness though, he noticed two glowing orbs in the dark. Cold, icy blue eyes stared back at him. They blinked, and Percy heard a loud huff. It sounded more like the hiss of a train than anything.
The monster took a step forward, its eyes locked onto him, and Percy stood still as a statue. A paw covered in white fur emerged from the dark. Percy's eyes momentarily darted to its razor sharp claws, before shooting back up the eyes. The creature's head was now visible; it resembled a massive white bear with blue eyes. As it rose to its full height, he noticed the amount of scars tainting its fur. The hulking bear exhaled, his breath coming out in visible puffs of steam.
On all fours, it must've been ten feet tall, towering over Percy as it looked down at him with cold eyes. Percy raised his sword so it was aimed between the monster's eyes, and took a deep breath. The bear sniffed, its eyes narrowing, and took another step forward. He guessed the monster could sense his power, since it wasn't stupid enough to simply throw itself at him.
"Am I supposed to make myself big now?" he joked under his breath, to no one in particular.
The bear opened its maw and roared, and Percy actually felt his feet slide due to the pressure of the monster's power. He was fine though, he'd faced way worse than an overgrown polar bear. When the bear pounced, he was prepared. Percy rolled to the side, slashing at the bear's side while it passed. The attack only left a small cut in the monster's hide, and he frowned.
The bear smashed into a pile of rocks, but barely noticed the hit. It turned around and swiped at him with its spear-like claws. Percy dodged it quite easily, but was caught of guard when it snapped its teeth at him barely a second after. He had to drop his sword, Lifedrinker, and caught both sides of the bear's jaw in his hands. He turned, smashing his knee into its jaw so hard, the monster was lifted a few feet off the ground. It smacked harshly against the stone floor on its way down.
Percy picked up his sword and took a few steps back, while the white bear recovered. It spat out a tooth; it clattered on the stone floor accompanied by a few drops of blood. It got back up relatively undeterred, but very angry. Its blue eyes found him again, and the bear charged once more.
He met its charge with a powerful kick to the snout, before flipping his sword around to stab it in the head. Unfortunately the bear leaned away, causing his sword to sink into its shoulder instead. Percy cursed under his breath, yanking his sword out of the hide. He jumped away to avoid being cut in half by its claws, putting a few feet in between them. Percy watched as the bear shook its head, as if it hadn't just been kicked with the force of a truck.
It roared at him again, before swiping at his head. Percy saw it coming though; he ducked underneath the paw and clearer the distance between him and the monster, before stabbing his sword right into the bottom of its jaw. The bear let out a pained gargle, and Percy felt hot, thick liquid dripping onto his shoulder, so he knew he'd struck true.
What he hadn't thought about, was the fact that the monster's hands were still very free, and he was very close-by. The bear swatted him to the side, sending Percy flying into a heap of crystals nearby. Lifedrinker was still stuck in its jaw, the point sticking out into the monster's mouth. The demigod rolled off of the pile, getting to his feet again. He had to force his shoulder back into its socket due to how hard he'd been hit, but his healing took care of that.
He eyed Lifedrinker in annoyance. The bear was futilely trying to remove it from its jaw, but it was doing a pretty bad job. "That looks nasty." Percy taunted, drawing Icebreaker from its sheath. "Got insurance, or?"
The bear didn't appreciate his attempt at a joke, judging by the frustrated growls it sent his way. The temperature is the cave seemed to drop several degrees as the bear inhaled deeply, and Percy's senses went crazy. It kind of resembled what the boy had done earlier, with the breath attack and all. He tensed his legs in anticipation. Eventually the bear's breath halted, until it released the most powerful roar yet, accompanied by a storm of frost and snow being blasted out of its maw.
Percy skidded backwards, arms crossed over his face, before he stabbed his sword into the ground to keep him steady. He looked up to the bear again, only to see that it had charged him while he was distracted. Its head smashed into his torso, and Percy was sent flying again, only this time he didn't hit anything. He flipped in mid-air, before landing on his feet.
He flexed his metal arm, and lightning sparked. Percy couldn't do the technique Sanak had told him about with this hand, since it wasn't technically a limb, but he wouldn't need it anyway. He raised his palm towards the bear, who looked at the crackling electricity with mild curiosity. Percy released it; the bolt rocketed towards the monster and hit it head-on. The fur on its head hissed as the bear closed its eyes shut; had he blinded it?
Using the moment of weakness to his advantage, Percy dashed towards the beast, sword at the ready. Ignoring its pained whines, he kicked away the arm guarding its face, before flipping his sword around, as he'd done before. He stabbed Icebreaker downward, into the bear's skull. He felt the bone give way, and the bear went slack, its cries ceased. The cold air dissipated as the monster fell, before its body began to crumble to golden dust.
Percy picked up Lifedrinker, it had been stuck in the bear's mouth all this time, as he let the body disappear. He took a few deep breaths, calming his heart and the adrenaline coursing through his veins. A slight rumble shook the earth, and the ground gave way to the familiar sight of a door. It rose up from the stone until the rumble stopped, and it had fully materialized in front of him.
He'd done it, he realized. He'd beaten the boss. Slightly anti-climactic though, he thought, since he'd expected a more grandiose fight. Then again, he'd expected having to fight Arnan yesterday, and it had turned out to be Shel. Maybe these were good things.
His relaxed mind was disturbed by the sound of slow clapping. An overwhelming presence appeared out of nowhere behind him, and Percy whirled around to face it. What he saw made his muscles tense, and his mind race; a man with a long black mane dressed in a torn loincloth.
"Impressive, honestly." said Arnan as his clapping came to an end. He seemed to be sizing up the demigod. "Have you been working out? New sword as well, very nice."
Percy hadn't made a sound, his grip on his swords was so tight that his knuckles turned white. This man just had to show up unexpected every time, didn't he? Arnan slowly took a few steps toward him, and Percy realized he was unarmed this time. All the better. The lieutenant still had that infuriating smirk plastered on his face, the one that sent Percy into fits of rage every time he thought of it.
"How's your back?" Arnan asked, seeing that the demigod wasn't up for friendly conversation. "Better, I'm assuming, but still-"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Percy growled through gritted teeth, his anger getting the better of him for a second.
Arnan put up his hands in a defensive gesture. "I heard you beat up my daughter, so, being the benevolent father I am, I came to talk."
"I doubt you're that kind of father," Percy huffed, "you seem more the like the 'go get milk for ten years' kind."
The lieutenant shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. You also killed my son, I saw."
"If you were watching, why didn't you help?"
"He wasn't of use to me anymore, anyway, so why bother? You cleaned up my mess for me."
Percy narrowed his eyes at that last comment. Arnan clearly didn't care for his offspring at all, he even used them to do his bidding. He was the kind of person the demigod despised with all his heart. It was because of this he'd asked the gods to be better, to value their children's lives more. People like Arnan belonged in hell, in Tartarus, and could rot here for however long this place existed, but first-
"I'm going to kill you." said Percy, his voice not wavering a single bit. He'd voiced it as a fact, because that's what it was to him. He'd killed the other lieutenants because he had to, but this was personal. Arnan himself seemed to be delighted by the demigod's words, judging by the wide smile on his face.
"You're welcome to try, if you want a repeat of our last meeting!" he said, barking out a laugh. The lieutenant reached behind him, before pulling out an object from seemingly nowhere. Percy's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, when he realized it was Orenmir. The black handle and sheath were still in mint condition. He turned his glare on Arnan again.
"That belongs to me." he warned the man, who simply laughed in his face again.
"It really doesn't, Perce." he replied. "In fact, I argue that it belongs to me more than it does to you."
Arnan's hand closed around the handle, and the world around him flickered for a split second. Percy blinked, disoriented, but he quickly realized what had happened. He turned around to face the lieutenant again; Arnan had used Orenmir's ability to switch their locations. Now Arnan was standing in front of the door, blocking Percy's escape route. Not that he'd have taken it anyway, since his friends were still waiting for him in the village.
"Confusing, isn't it?" asked Arnan, casting the unsheathed blade a glance. "Don't know how he manages to use this as smoothly as he does, always teleporting everywhere..."
"Who is 'he'?" Percy asked, frowning.
Arnan opened his mouth to speak, before something peculiar happened. A wave of unthinkable power washed over both of them, hitting Percy like a semi-truck on steroids. He tried to speak, but his voice didn't function. His legs gave out and he sunk to his knees. The energy was suffocating. It felt like the weight of the sky was on his shoulders again, but he couldn't feel any physical thing holding him down.
As he was forced onto his hands and knees, he immediately thought this must be Arnan's work, but how? Was there really such a large gap between their respective powers? Had his training not helped him at all? He craned his head upwards, which took so much effort he almost passed out, just to see something that made him question everything he knew about Tartarus.
Arnan was in a position identical to his, clawing at his neck as his face turned red from the strain of staying upright. His breath came out in short, tense puffs and he seemed to be choking. Percy's head fell back down as the pressure continued to keep him chained to the floor, and he racked his brain to come up with an escape plan, or an idea of what could be doing this to him.
Something strong enough to keep Arnan on his knees like this...
The sound of glass breaking shook him out of his thoughts, and he slowly moved his head to look at the sound. Near the boss door, an area in mid-air seemed like it had been... broken? A chunk had been taking out of reality, in the shape of broken glass, with beyond it nothing but black darkness. A figure stepped through, and Percy felt the pressure increase tenfold. Both him and Arnan gave out completely, crashing face first into the floor.
He heard Arnan speak in strangled gasps, only able to say one word before he was silenced again. "Bro...ther." The lieutenant said.
His head was facing away from the others, so he couldn't see the person who had just stepped through the broken portal, but he could heard their voice. It cut through him like a blade, while also making his limbs shake in need of running away. Everything about this individual screaming 'too strong, run the fuck away!'. Percy realized that if this wasn't Alvar, then it must be the first lieutenant.
His would-be final opponent to get out of this pit.
"I'm not your brother, lowlife." the person said, and Percy deduced it was a male. "I see you've found something... something that belongs to me."
He heard Arnan try to speak, but nothing but gasps came out. Percy himself felt like he was going to be sick, but he couldn't move himself enough to throw up. All of his muscles were locked in place. He heard some rustling, presumably the man picking something off the ground. Percy then realized that the sword, Orenmir, must belong to the first lieutenant. Was that why it was said to be cursed? And why hadn't he been hunted down for having it?
"You found this, took it off this child you've been playing with, and did not return it to me." the man continued, his voice dripping with disappointment and barely concealed hate towards the other lieutenant. "I consider that to be theft, and mild betrayal."
A beat of silence passed, before Percy heard a sickening crunch, and Arnan groaned and gasped uncontrollably. At that moment, Percy tried to become one with the floor, he didn't dare move. Whatever the man had done, it had hurt Arnan a lot.
"This is your last chance, little brother." the man spat the term as if it was the worst insult in the world. "Defy me like this again, and you will not live to see the light of this realm again. I know plenty of... tasks you could fulfill."
From his tone of voice, Percy figured he didn't want to find out what exactly these tasks were.
Another tense silence passed, accompanied by the sound of light footsteps, before the pressure suddenly disappeared altogether. Percy coughed and heaved, throwing up his meals onto the stone floor below. He almost had a panic attack, if not for the fact that he managed to control his breathing relatively quickly. His rolled over, letting his back hit the floor, and laid there.
The man was gone, and so was Arnan, though the latter had left a rather ominous looking pool of blood behind. The crack in the air was gone, as if it had never been there at all. Percy sighed in unimaginable relief. He felt as if he was about to die, and why hadn't he? The lieutenant, both of them, had simply let him live? He did think Arnan had been forced to leave, but still, why hadn't the first one ended him right then and there?
He closed his eyes, placing a hand on his racing heart. That had been a grueling experience, probably up there with the loss of his arm. That was the man he'd have to face in order to leave this place. The difference in power was sickening. He could train his ass off for years and not even touch that level of potency.
Percy sat up straight, grabbing ahold of the swords he'd dropped, and took a long look at the boss door. The inexplicable urge tor run away set into his stomach, and he felt incredibly fidgety. He got to his feet with a groan, since his body felt like it had been through a meat grinder. He looked up towards the hole in the ceiling; his exit.
He needed to warn his friends, and they needed to leave. They needed to leave now.
~ end of floor thirty ~
9k words! Proud of this one, honestly. Percy fought his way through another floor and beat the boss! Another interaction with Arnan, and Percy finally gets to 'hear' the famed first lieutenant! After making some rights and wrongs, the gang makes it to the next floor! Let me know what you thought, and be sure to join the Discord if you want! Link is in my FF bio.
Review, review, review!