Legend of Spyro: Four Pillars of Aether, Book II

by Blazcowitz43

Three years later, Warfang has fallen and tyranny reigns. Guilt-ridden and long thought dead, Spyro has left his home and prophecy behind for a new life of peace with the dragonflies in the distant swamps. But the war rages on for Cynder, Flame and Ember, who among others fight back against Gaul's rule as Malefor's return draws nearer. Will the Four Who Lived become one again?

9. Chapter 9: The Ice King Cometh

Chapter 9:

The Ice King Cometh

This then was the rumored leader of the undead Troll army that now roamed the ruins of Perisher's Keep, the remnants of some twisted experiment by Malefor from his time. The armored ghoul gave no impression it was anything but a sentiment suit of heavy plate armor, its face, if it had one, was hidden behind its helmet where only solid green eyes could be seen. The Ice King drew in a deep breath as its knees slightly bent down, its arms moving out to its sides as a heart shriveling, guttural roar bellowed from its hidden mouth, the creature straitening up and launching its arms into the air like it was conducting an orchestra. In that instant, a dozen or so eruptions occurred all around the floor of the chamber, gusts of snow and broken ice thrown into the air as from each one, more armored figures appeared!

Hunter, Cynder, Flame and Ember all gasped as they witnessed the unholy resurrection as frostbitten, armor-clad, green-eyed Trolls now surrounded them! Most were much the same as their king albeit much closer to the size of Hunter, clad in black and orange armor and wielding metal shields and large axe-like rectangular blades. Strips of decaying green flesh still clung to the skeletal bodies of some, but more frightening were those who stood out from the rest by standing without legs at all! Floating just above the ground were four skeleton torsos, empty eyes sockets filled with ghoulish green light, tattered remains of a cape hanging from their backs and large axes clutched in the one arm that each still possessed. The Cheetah and three young dragons at once took up a defensive circle, standing back-to-back as the undead ghouls stared at them with bared teeth and blood craving weapons.

"I really hate it when we're both right!" Cynder remarked grimly to Hunter as he sheathed his sword and unslung his bow. The Ice King made a grunt like growl, jabbing its armored finger out and pointing at the hapless group in the center of the chamber, surrounded by its minions. The Troll and Wraiths reacted without further elaboration, decaying bones and armor clinking as they slowly closed in on the intruders. Knowing just how Spyro would have acted, Flame steadied himself and fanned his wings out as he adopted a fighting stance, his confidence rubbing off on the others, so he liked to think, as they too did the same.

"So, what's the plan?" Flame asked Hunter as the ghouls inched closer, the Wraiths laughing menacingly as they bobbed along almost comically as though they still had legs.

"Stick together until we thin them out, then teams of two," he answered swiftly, "Flame, stick with Ember. Cynder, with me. Don't get breath happy. We'll send these ghouls back to the grave and then we'll dethrone his majesty," he declared with a quick glance to the Ice King, who so far remained standing out of the action.

"Alright," nodded Cynder.

"Done," Ember concurred softly but determinedly.

"Good," Hunter nodded humbly before exclaiming, "Go!"

A lightning-fast arrow shot from Hunter pierced the skull of one of the Troll as it tumbled over, beginning the action. The other ghouls rushed in, snarling and raising their weapons as their king watched on. Hunter fired two more arrows in quick succession, the Trolls ducking behind their shields as they closed for the kill. Cynder shot a quick jolt of Wind breath that blew snow into the face of the nearest Troll and blinded them as Hunter shouldered his bow and drew his sword, Flame and Ember letting loose simulations blasts of Fire and Ice at the foes on their side. One Troll was engulfed in flames while another was frozen in a shower of ice, the others still closing in.

"Hold fast!" the Cheetah bellowed as he lunged forward with his sword, slashing across the path of the pair of ghouls who had deflected his arrows, Cynder slashing with her claws as others prodded at her with their weapons. The nearest Troll reeled back and swung his axe, Cynder leaping back like a horse pulled by the reigns before she charged forward, her head slamming into its arm and throwing it back into the snow, the Troll pulled down by the weight of its shield. The second Troll attacked before she could take advantage, a hammer like blast of her Wind breath sent it flying back across the chamber as another filled its space while Hunter skillfully parried with a pair of Trolls on his own.

Behind them, Flame and Ember made repeated hit and run strikes; charging and swiping at the enemy to keep them back before retreating and then bounding forward again, repeating the process as the Trolls tried to cross the same distance again. One frustrated ghoul charged Flame as he rushed forward, the red dragon meeting him with a fiery burst around the Troll's feet as it tried to block with its shield. Its undead legs scalded, it cried out and exposed its chest, Flame kicking out his back legs like a mule and sending it crashing into another behind it! Ember swung her tail around as she conjured a fearsome scythe of ice that nearly doubled her tail's length, slicing through a metal shield and the Troll behind it like they were paper. The violence did not slow the attackers as they encircled the group, the Wraiths laughing manically as they and the Trolls tightened the loop around them.

"It's getting tight around here!" Ember exclaimed cautiously as she breathed a burst of shimmering Ice breath at a Wraith, the ghoul sliding across the air and dodging the cloud as it flashed a mocking, frightening grin at her. Hunter's sword drove through the chest of one of the Trolls as he heard Ember's cry, pushing its lifeless weight back with his foot as he barely looked back at her before his sword met the blade of the next Troll. His heart raced as he saw they were being smothered, losing room to maneuver as the Trolls tirelessly pushed them back, even as they stepped over the bodies of their fallen. The Ice King laughed at their plight; the ghoulish monarch seemingly unimpressed by their efforts to survive.

"We have to break out!" Hunter called out as the noose tightened ever more, slashing and striking down another of the Trolls as another quickly took its place. Cynder reeled back as she held her wings back and then thrust them forward, a wide wall of wind staggering back the Troll in front of her in a cloud of snow, some falling over, but it only bought temporary breathing room for her. While she could have escaped the loop herself, it would have left the others even more exposed and left her fighting alone. Even if she had the strength for it, the chamber was too confined for a Wind Fury and the chance the icicles might break off and impale her companions was too great. But if they did nothing they would surely die. It was exactly something that Spyro would have got them out of!

"Any ideas?" she called aloud and anxiously, a menacing Wraith hobbling towards her with decaying flesh hanging from its exposed ribs.

"I thought you were the genius here?" Ember replied in a fearful snark.

"This really the time for this now?!" Flame remarked critically, "We got frozen dead guys all around us!"

"I'm not hearing ideas!" Hunter chimed in frantically as his sword sang out to the tune of relentless parrying. Flame's brain suddenly sparked as he quickly leaned over to Ember after letting out burst of delaying flames at their enemies.

"What about that trick we pulled in the temple?" he suggested brightly.

"Chase the tail?" Ember asked as she swung her ice tipped tail blade at the Trolls again, the ghouls this time smart enough to keep back out of reach.

"Yeah, and now we've got Cynder to add to the chase!" he replied swiftly, the black dragoness hearing just enough to agree to the plan.

"Then let's do it! Hunter, get ready to duck!"

"Understood!" he answered tensely just as he slashed across the neck of another ghoul, the three young dragons glancing to each other to see they were ready. Then in the next moment, it happened. Cynder, Ember and Flame sprang into the air with synchronized speed, Hunter leaping across to the snow between them as the ghouls all paused at the sudden action. A jet of Fire breath, a cone of Ice breath and a gale of Wind breath shot fourth in unison, sweeping out in a three-point direction as the Ice King's eyes suddenly formed a scowl as it watched the unravelling spectacle. The three dragons flew just off the ground in a tight circle, casting their elements after each other as Hunter ducked down in the middle of them. Wind blew the ghouls back; some being impaled on the spiked walls as fire engulfed others while ice froze them solid, the wind blast shattering them into frozen chunks that scattered over the floor of the chamber. A few ghouls escaped the carnage, blown or backing out of range as the three-way elemental tornado came to a finish.

"Move!" Hunter cried, the four at once splitting into pairs as earlier instructed, each rushing the remaining foes nearest to them. Cynder charged a pair of Trolls, the first having lost its shield and the second being a Wraith as they raised their weapons towards her, the black dragoness bounding into the air and leaping between the two as their swords swung and missed her, Cynder turning around to confront them as they did the same. At the same time, Hunter parried with a single Troll, their swords meeting in a violent clash as Flame and Ember made a dash into their own fray. One of the floating Wraiths came at Ember, holding up its large axe as she scurried underneath, the ghoul slashing and missing as the force of its swing spun it around, Flame quickly dousing it in fire as the floating skeleton was quickly charred. He banked right as a sword cleared his head by inches, he and Ember crossing over each other's paths before they ran side by side like they were racing, rounding the chamber and confusing their enemies who tried to attack them.

Hunter deflected a blow with his sword as he swung his fist around and struck his foe across the head, the distraction allowing him to drive his sword through the ghoul's decaying chest, the Troll letting out a gurgling roar as its glowing eyes faded out. Behind him, Cynder swung her tail blade low, slashing at the legs of a Troll as it jumped back as the Wraith made a sweeping lurch at her, axe primed again. She ducked and barrel rolled to her right across the icy ground, the Troll rushing at her as Cynder shot a simmering whip of wind at it, catching the ghoul and flinging it across the chamber into one of the protruding spikes.

She looked up and saw the Wraith as it seemed poised to slash her, when suddenly an arrow shot by Hunter caught it in the back of its tattered cape, the ghoul roaring in pain as Cynder took the chance to strike. She leapt up at the Wraith, catching onto its arm with her teeth as its ghoulish eyes flashed in anger, wrenching its arm about to shake her off as her claws raked its exposed ribs. She tried swinging the scythe of her tail at it, but could not reach up to strike it as Hunter circled around, trying to find somewhere vulnerable to attack it. It was an undead skeleton after all with no heart of vital organs to target, no weakness of the flesh that barely clung to its putrid bones.

"Hold on!" he called out as kept his bow trained on the Wraith as it spun itself in circles, leaving him unable to take a shot as Cynder bit hard down as her weight was thrown around like a dog fighting for a bone. It was in such moments she wished she had a more destructive element than Wind. Meanwhile, Flame and Ember saw the struggle as they each contended with a Troll each, but knew their companion would be at risk if she let go, neither she or Hunter able to do mortal damage to the Wraith.

"She's in trouble!" Flame exclaimed as he leapt back as the Troll swung its sword over head at him, embedding it in the ground as the red dragon knocked its shield away before lunging and grabbing its arm, the ghoul howling as Flame tore into it with his claws while Ember froze her adversary's legs. As it looked down and realized why it could not walk, Ember leapt up and spun with her ice scythe tail, the undead creature's head cut from its body as it was sent flying across the chamber and its upright body going limp like a puppet. Flame closed his eyes as he clamped his jaws around his Troll's neck, nearly retching at the taste as a fatal snap rang out as the ghoul's neck was broken.

"Come on!" Ember called to him as he shook his head and revolted tongue but nonetheless followed her as they rushed to aid Cynder and Hunter.

"Cynder, let go! Let go!" she cried as the Wraith continued to jostle her about, unable to use its weapon as long as she was attached. Cynder caught only a glance of Ember and Flame as they rushed towards her, but enough to see the flash of blue as the pink dragoness cast a stream of glittering ice towards them! As her heart stopped, she released her hold and fell into the snow, the ghoul turning and letting out a guttural scream as the blast of Ice breath washed over it, freezing it in a frozen clump as its supernatural lifeforce kept it floating in the air. Flame cast a ball of concentrated fire barely a moment later, striking the frozen Wraith with a blast of orange anger as the ghoul was blasted into fragments, pieces scattering and burning through the snow as they spread over the chamber in a cloud of black smoke.

"Cynder! Are you alright?" Hunter called as he followed Flame and Ember towards her, the black dragoness hastily picking herself out of the snow, her eyes dizzy from the constant swinging from the ghoul's arm.

"Not a lot of time for me to react, huh?" she remarked sarcastically but thankfully.

"Well, don't hang around next time!" Ember replied equally, Flame chuckling at her clever pun.

"Ha! Spyro would totally have said that!"

"A tremendous display!" Hunter proclaimed proudly, grinning broadly at the trio's teamwork, "But we're not done here, yet!"

As if to concur his remarks, a raging bellow swept through the chamber as they all turned towards its source; the nearly forgotten Ice King raising its armored fist in anger as it regarded the four intruders with vile contempt for dispatching its underlings without a scratch to show for it. The hulking behemoth stiffened its pose before it crouched down and roared again, jumping from in front of its throne and landing with a ground trembling crash onto the floor of the chamber. Hunter aimed his bow at the creature as the trio of young dragons fanned out, forming a spread-out line as the Ice King marched forward with four heavy paces.

"He's a lot bigger up close…" Flame commented uneasily.

"The bigger they come, the harder they fall," Cynder remarked coolly, hiding her true anxiousness as the monster narrowed its glowing eyes at them.

"He stands between us and Volteer," Hunter announced stoutly, "So unless he yields, we'll have to go through him."

"Somehow I don't think he's one to walk away from a fight…" Ember said cynically. The Ice King held out its empty hand and turned its head to it as suddenly, from the black mouth of its helmet, a cloud of icy breath hissed over its hand as something began to form from the freezing mist! In barely a moment, a great blade of ice, shaped like the serrated fin of a fearsome shark, took form in its hand to complement its icy shield.

"Ready yourselves!" Hunter commanded as he took finer aim with his bow, seeing no obvious spot to aim for but the small black gaps of the helmet where a face may or may not even be. As he tried to aim for that, the Ice King gave a heavy grunt as it raised its right foot, slamming it down into the ground with shattering strength. Suddenly, the snow in front of the giant ghoul erupted in a line across the whole chamber, enchanted clumps of spiked ice cutting through the snow towards them like frozen caltrops!

"Lookout!" cried Cynder as she instinctively took to the air, Flame and Ember following suite as the wave of frozen spikes moved quickly towards them, Hunter gasping as he turned to flee from the pursuing spikes! Dropping the arrow and slinging his bow, he launched himself at the nearest pillar, leaping up and grabbing on as his paws struggled to grip its slippery surface. He wrapped his arms and legs around as tight as he could as the spikes passed under him like a wave, ploughing their way through the snow and disappearing into nothing. As they did, they revealed the entire floor of the chamber was solid ice, the snow that had provided some grip was now all but gone save for a few light patches, meaning that moving across the floor would be even more dicey.

"Hunter, are you okay?" Flame called out desperately as he and the others flew back around as Hunter panted like mad for how closely he had nearly been torn to ribbons.

"I'm fine. Press the attack!" he ordered as he slid down uneasily onto the icy floor, gripping the pillar as his feet slipped straight away, the three young dragons now realizing how inhibited the Cheetah warrior was now going to be. Nonetheless, they wasted no time, swinging back around to make their first strike at the Ice King as it held up its shield and sword to the ready. Cynder led the charge, until Flame impulsively overtook her in a flash of reckless bravery.

"Follow me!" he sang as he soared ahead, headlong towards the monster Troll!

"Flame, be careful!" called Ember from the rear as the red dragon let loose a great whoosh of orange fire, the Ice King holding up its frozen shield as it growled fiercely, flashing its great blade across the air as the fiery cloud blackened the shield. The red dragon broke off sharply as the sword passed to within a few inches of him, Cynder and Ember breaking off their attacks as their friend's impulsiveness had thrown them off. The Ice King's shield remained intact although scorched, Hunter struggling to keep himself upright as he tried to shuffle closer to the action across the icy floor. The Ice King took a few steps further into the chamber, the room echoing with each step as the dragon trio made their own separate attacks against it.

Cynder swept around from the creature's right, casting a gale of fierce Wind breath across its bulk, filling the air with specks of snow but to no effect as the Troll's massive weight shrugged off her attack. She pulled away in a near somersault as the Troll swung its spiked shield at her, sweeping back with its sword at Ember as she swept around from the other side, a blast of her Ice breath cut short as she banked left to dodge it. In that moment, Flame made a second attack, flying up the center of the chamber as his open mouth glowed in a sphere of concentrated fire, throwing his head forward like he had sneezed as a fireball soared towards the Ice King!

"Eat this!" he snarled as the fireball left a trail of black smoke through the air, the ghoul not seeing it in time as the glowing sphere impacted in its chest plate, exploding in a shower of burning debris as the creature roared in pain. It staggered back, arms flailing as its armored chest glowed a fearsome orange like the end of a hot poker as the red dragon swept back around for another run.

"Keep that up!" Hunter shouted from below, the elation in his voice quickly infecting the others as they now saw the Ice King was not immune, though perhaps they may have concluded earlier that fire would be the natural counter to an enemy with the name 'Ice King'. The ghoul braced its sword and shield tightly, now expecting the second attack as the three dragons formed up and raced towards it, Hunter taking aim with his bow from afar as he eyed the creature's burning chest. He let loose a single shot, the arrow striking harmlessly just above the point of impact, Hunter growling as he readied another shot as Flame, Cynder and Ember flew overhead.

"Aim for his weapons!" the Cheetah called out as he took the second shot, this time aiming for the creature's helmet, the arrow striking the nasal plate protecting where its nose would be, the Ice King growling in annoyance as the dragons approached. The two dragonesses flew just ahead, aiming to distract the monster as Flame made another fiery pass. Ember's mouth opened with a barrage of blue colored, razor sharp ice picks, shooting fourth like a barrage of frozen arrows as some impacted the Ice King's right arm before it ducked behind its shield as Cynder surged ahead, forgoing her element for a daring direct attack!

She held her breath as she saw the fearsome icy blade held in the air, the black dragoness sweeping in with her tail scythe at the ready, the hulking Troll unable react in time as she swept overhead, her tail slashing across its helmet with a heavy clang just as Ember's frozen shard barrage ended as she pulled away to the left, leaving Flame to make his attack. His mouth glowed with another prepared fireball as the Ice King glared at him, strangely leaving itself exposed with its sword and shield held to its sides.

Flame's eyes nearly popped as the Ice King suddenly roared, stretching out its arms as a shimmering sphere of blue energy suddenly appeared, encircling the ghoul in a bubble of spinning, freezing magic! In stunned panic, he released his fireball too late, the fireball exploding against the energy sphere in a blast of blinding fire and smoke, the disoriented red dragon climbing to shoot overtop but connecting with the blue sphere with a heart wrenching cry of pain!

"Flame!" the chorus of Cynder, Ember and Hunter cried as the red dragon was sent hurtling back like he was launched from a catapult, crashing into the icy ground and rolling for several terrible moments as the Ice King gave a guttural laugh at the pain it had caused. Flame came to a stop on his left side, facing away from his foe as Hunter immediately scurried towards him as fast as he could, his claws slipping and scratching across the icy floor. Hovering above, Cynder and Ember looked to each other despairingly and then to the Ice King as it looked upon at the rescue attempt sourly, the spinning sphere shrinking and fading away finally as it stepped towards them.

"We've got to cover them! Come on!" Cynder shouted to Ember who nodded firmly in response as they both set off against the armored Troll. The two circled around the Ice King, which paused in its stride as it spun and stepped around, trying to meet any attack they made. Cynder banked around and focused her Wind breath on its face, hoping to disorient or de-helm it as it ducked under its shield again. Ember made a rapid attack from its right, casting a coat of ice across its right arm which hardened in moments, the creature snarling incoherently as its arm became locked and stiff. It shifted around furiously, swatting its shield across the air at them as it tried to unlock its frozen arm. For her part, Ember was relieved that her element still had an effect on this monster that also had the ability to manipulate ice. The pair kept up the harassment, wary of the Ice King conjuring up its energy sphere again. At the same time, Hunter had reached Flame, the Cheetah warrior sliding over to him as the red dragon lay shaking violently, his eyes wide open and his face seemingly locked in a permeant state of shock.

"Flame! Are you alright?" Hunter asked frantically as he pulled himself up beside him, eyeing him fretfully as the red dragon continued to shake uncontrollably and looked ahead with a frozen stare.

"S-So…c-cold…" he stuttered out weakly as Hunter tried steadying him with his paws.

"Come on, Flame! You've got to move!" the Cheetah cried as he lifted the dragon's head, looking into his eyes as he tried to ascertain how hurt or immobile he was, "You've got to get up!"

Flame blinked with great difficulty, his whole body felt cold to touch as if he had just been pulled from an artic sea. What little breath he seemed to have exited his mouth like clouds of snow into the air as Hunter tried to get him to stand. The Ice King finally snapped its arm free, shattering the ice block that had been cast over it, using the renewed mobility to throw its sword through the air as Cynder and Ember continued to circle it like bees around a hive. Cynder swept over its head from behind, her tail scythe slicing off one of the icy horns of its helmet, which fell and shattered on the ground. The ghoul snarled as it slashed the air after her, Ember suddenly shooting up in front of it with her claws and fangs bared, mouth glowing with another barrage of frozen shards.

The Troll ducked behind its shield again, the repeated barrage like a hundred ice picks cutting into the shield as fragments broke off like shattering glass. It made a lunge at her, Ember quickly breaking away as Cynder came back around, swinging her tail scythe like a pendulum that struck the top of the weakened shield like a mace, slashing a cut through it that spread like a spider's web across the shield. As the two dragonesses got clear, the Ice King's shield crumbled into pieces, the Troll growling in blood curdling contempt as the shield fell apart around its hand. As they retreated towards Hunter, who still could not get Flame to his feet, the Ice King raised its armored hands into the air, a glowing mystical mist appearing around them like living frost. A great whoosh reverberated through the air and a sound like cracking glass suddenly came from above. The Dragons and Cheetah looked up and saw to their horror that the icicles of the ceiling were beginning to creak and shake, manipulated by the will of the Ice King!

"Find cover!" Hunter yelled as he gabbed Flame around his chest and waist, trying to force him to his feet as the armored ghoul turned its hands over and threw them down like it was pulling down a shade, the icicles above breaking loose and shooting down towards them! In that split second, Cynder and Ember, both looking in different directions, acted according to their own judgment, neither realizing how their actions would complement each other. Ember dived down towards Hunter and Flame while Cynder shot towards the Ice King, both thinking they were too late and would be ripped to shreds any second by the falling icicles. Ember flew herself in front of Hunter and Flame as the icicles came down, casting a thick blue cloud of Ice breath in front of her as she did, aiming down and then over as she nearly fell backwards.

In the blink of an eye, she had cast a frozen wave of ice that arched overtop of them as the icicles rained down like a barrage of arrows, slamming and cracking into the frozen ground as she continued to cast her element to harden the shield of ice. Not seeing this, Cynder rushed through the air with a swift burst of speed that spun her like a corkscrew, feeling the icicles passing behind her as the Ice King raised its sword. She sucked in her breath and dived, the shimmering blade of ice zipping over her as she looped upward in front of the Troll, swinging her tail blade again as it slashed across the ghoul's helmet before she dove in and attacked with her claws, hoping it would not summon the freezing forcefield again. Behind her, Hunter and Flame looked up incredulously at the shield Ember had conjured, the barrage of icicles passing as the Cheetah warrior quickly dragged him out as she finally released her breath, panting from how much it had taken from her to protect her friends.

"Thanks, Ember!" Hunter congratulated before he turned back to the red dragon, "Come on, Flame! We need you back in the fight!" Hunter begged as he pulled him onto his feet, still shaking as he looked up helplessly at the Cheetah warrior.

"I-I c-c-can't…" his teeth chattered, his limbs feeling heavy and unwilling to move, feeling as though he would topple over like a wayward stack of bricks any moment.

"Warm up, Flame! We need your help!" Ember said hoarsely as she crawled out of the cover of the frozen wave and looked across to Cynder, who remained fighting the Ice King alone. The black dragoness dodged another swipe, slipping like an eel through the air as the giant armored ghoul roared again, raising a clenched fist and throwing an enraged punch through the air at her as she banked back around, the Ice King making to stab at her with its sword. As its arm lunged forward, her wings folded behind her as her speed alone carried her onward, the sword slicing the air below her. Cynder almost playfully skipped across the Troll's outstretched arm, summoning her wind ability to spring her into a hard, crashing charge to the monster's chest, the cushion of air softening the blow to her head as the Ice King stumbled backwards from the blow, the black dragoness momentarily dazed in the air.

"Coming in!" Ember cried as she came flying into the action towards them, her maw opening into another volley of flying ice shards as she aimed at the ghoul's sword hand, the missiles striking the creature's armored gauntlet in an explosion of glittering fragments as Cynder took the chance to break off. The Ice King bellowed as its hand lost its grip on the sword as a crust of piercing, freezing ice mangled its hand, the sword falling to the ground as it raised its arms to protect itself. As the sword fell, Cynder ducked back around like a shark smelling blood as Ember's assault kept the armor-clad monster at bay, the black dragoness casting a stream of wailing Wind breath that gripped the fallen sword like a swirling, ghostly hand. A snap of her head to the right sent the whip of air and the sword flying across the chamber, the blade slamming into one of the great spikes of the surrounding wall, breaking it apart amongst them as Ember cut off her attack and flew back to re-join her.

"Nice going!" Cynder remarked as Ember flew up beside her, the pair keeping back as the Ice King let out yet another angry roar as the freezing forcefield that had paralyzed Flame was summoned again, the ghoul holding up its mangled hand in the respite the magic shield provided it. The gauntlet and hand were shredded, in its place an ugly frozen cluster that had formed over the remaining bones from Ember's attack. Behind the spinning forcefield, its eyes seemed to be glowing ever more venomously as it looked up at them, the Ice King shuddering with rage as it suddenly grabbed the icy stump with its remaining hand and ripped it off with sickening speed and force. Throwing the clump of its former hand to the side, the monster held up the empty socket close to its helmet. From its hidden mouth, a gust of icy wind flowed outward, shaping and forming a new hand of solid ice! The group watched on in disbelief as the Ice King flexed the fingers of its new hand and laughed mockingly before it blew another, longer gust of freezing breath that formed a new weapon to compliment the new hand; a long pole axe nearly the length of the creature itself!

"Well, that's hardly fair!" Cynder remarked with grim sarcasm as the Ice King's sphere shield faded out once again, the ghoul beginning to slowly advance on them as its feet made the floor jump with every step, Cynder and Ember looking back down to Hunter who was still tending to Flame. It was obvious to them both that if they could not fight it with Fire, they would be hard pressed to defeat the ghoulish monarch with Ice and Wind alone, especially if it could replace body parts and weapons with new ones of ice! Ember and Cynder hovered together as they contemplated how best to attack the creature.

"How do we stop this thing?" Cynder asked uneasily.

"Maybe I could freeze its feet, stop it from moving," suggested Ember, "We'll hit it from both sides. I'll go right and low, you go left and high, got it?"

"Okay!" the black dragoness nodded fiercely, the pair splitting up with her going left and Ember going right, the pair zooming around the edge of the chamber as they came back to strike the flanks of the Ice King, Hunter watching them as he tried to tend to the near frozen red dragon. The Ice King looked left and right at the approaching dragons, snarling as it clutched the pole axe in both hands as it took a deep breath as it stepped back and craned its head at them. Hunter's eyes widened in horror as he sensed what was about to happen.

"Cynder! Ember! Disengage!" he cried desperately.

The Ice King bent forward as a blistering blizzard of freezing white air suddenly erupted from the mouth of its helmet, catching Cynder and Ember off guard in the blink of an eye as it swung its freezing breath in both their directions!

"Lookout!" Ember shouted, Cynder throwing her head and body back in an almost backbreaking flip as she made to avoid the freezing cloud. Ember was less nimble than her and already coming too fast, hoping she might be able to speed through low under the Ice King's breath, the sight of his pole axe stopping her from trying to pull up and away. All in a split second, she tucked her wings behind and soared past, thinking she would make it. She was wrong.

In a literally spine-chilling instant, a frozen crust hardened over her back, her wings becoming frozen stiff as she cried out and hit the ground with her newfound weight, sliding across the icy floor past the Ice King's feet. Though Cynder had managed to pull away, the lower half of her tail caught the edge of the blast, a heavy block of ice hardening on it that pulled her down by the tail towards the ground, her wings struggling against the weight.

"Hold on!" Hunter cried as he watched them both fall, shoving Flame behind the cover of the nearest pillar as he stumbled and slipped on his feet, readying his bow. Cynder looked behind at Ember and at her tail in horror as she dragged it across the ground, the Ice King moving towards Ember as she lay on the ground, the icy crust on her back and wings hampering her attempts to get back to her feet. The ghoul gave a deep, throaty laugh as its shadow loomed over her, Hunter knowing he had only moments to act. Fear filled her eyes as the Ice King paused near to her, its great armored sabaton raised to crush her!

"Hey, you beast!" Hunter snapped as he lifted his bow and took aim, the Ice King pausing and turning its head, just as he had hoped, "Kingdoms always fall!"

With that, Hunter released his shot, the red painted arrow zipping across in an instant, finding its target as it passed through the narrow slit of the helmet and struck the glowing left eye. The chamber trembled with a bellow of anger as it staggered back and clutched at its helmet, the Ice King writhing in pain as its feet thundered on the ground, away from Ember.

"I'm coming!" Hunter yelled out as he slung his bow and made a dash towards the pink dragoness, balancing himself as his feet slid on the frozen ground, the Cheetah warrior leaning forward as he propelled himself onward, moving his arms and legs like he was striding with purpose while the Ice King was incapacitated. As he did, Cynder pulled herself over towards where Flame was, turning around and battering her frozen tail against the thick ice pillar as the red dragon shakingly looked around at her.

"W-Where's E-Ember..?" his teeth chattered to her.

"Just stay under cover!" she answered back, seemingly resigned that he was out of the fight even as the need for a Fire dragon could not have been greater. Her strikes against the pillar yielded little results, the black dragoness looking to her friend for help.

"I need you to melt this! Can you do it?" she asked frantically as she swung the frozen block on her tail close to him, knowing she could not fly with it dragging her down. As Flame weakly leant over to it, she looked over at Hunter as he slid on his side beside Ember, pulling himself to a stop on the ice with his claws as she kept trying to get back up.

"Come on, we have to go!" he cried as the Ice King reached its icy hand through its vision slit, its fingers pulling the arrow from its once glowing socket and tossing it aside, the ghoul levelling its gaze at them with now a single glowing eye. Through her attempts to move, some of the frozen crust had broken off Ember's back and wings, but she still struggled as Hunter tried putting his arm around her belly to lift her. The armored ghoul straightened itself, clenching the pole axe eagerly as it readied to attack them.

"Hurry!" Cynder cried, Flame breathing heavily as he weakly opened his mouth, a short, sputtering burst of Fire breath escaping but fizzling out just as fast. Ember and Hunter made a desperate dash as the Ice King raised its pole axe above its head, roaring as it slammed the blade down with blood curdling force right where the two had been a moment before. The blade embedded in the icy ground as Hunter dragged Ember as fast as he could, Cynder and Flame watching the ordeal helplessly.

"Come on!" she demanded, the shivering red dragon coughing out another, stronger burst of fire which was still short lived, but produced a shimmer of melting water. In frustration, Cynder turned and whacked the block on the pillar again, striking with all her might as a heavy crack rang against it. A portion of the ice block fell away but still covered most of her tail, but she knew there was no time to break or melt off the rest.

"Stay put!" she told Flame as she flapped her wings hard, launching herself in the air as the weight on her tail made her unsteady. It drooped behind her and affected her streamlining, but she flapped harder as she flew herself into danger. The Ice King finally pulled its weapon free, turning and stomping after Hunter and Ember with new speed as Cynder went soaring over them straight at the undead ghoul, fighting against the weight on her tail. Hunter and Ember both watched in awe, the Cheetah warrior urging the pink dragoness on as he unslung his bow, "Take cover with Flame! I must support Cynder!"

"Okay.." Ember nodded as she waddled on, the ice that clung to her body wearing her down as she made towards the red dragon, Hunter turning and firing arrows towards the Troll as the black dragoness swept in. Flame watched as Ember came, his eyes growing wide with shock as he saw her struggling towards him, the sheet of ice over her back as appalling as any bloody wound. She collapsed down close to him, Flame crawling towards her as she quivered in cold and fear. Their eyes met as he lay perpendicular to her left, asking through his chattering teeth, "A-Are you o-okay?"

"Are you?" she asked equally, shaking and shifting herself in an effort to break the freezing crust that inhibited her, "We need your help!"

"H-Hold s-still.." he forced out, the red dragon pushing himself to his feet as he almost collapsed on her, his quivering paws trying to brush the ice off her as the battle continued across the chamber. The Ice King braced its pole axe, reeling it back and swinging across the air, Cynder diving under its blade as Hunter's arrows struck around its helmet but failed to find their mark. Cynder made to climb away, but the ice on her tail slowed her down just as the monster swung the axe back, her heart stopping when she saw it too late. The frozen shaft slammed against her side, the blade barely missing her as the dragoness cried out as she tumbled out of the air, slamming hard against the ground and sliding towards the spikes surrounding the edge of the chamber! The sound of her cry alerted Ember and Flame who looked over and saw her form sailing towards imminent demise.

"Cynder!" Ember screamed, jumping to her feet and leaving Flame behind as she made a run despite the ice that still covered her, Cynder digging her claws down into the ice as she tried to slow herself. Spinning helplessly, she was sure she would be impaled any moment as she slid towards the spikes. Across the chamber, Ember slipped and lost her footing, just as she projected a ball of bluish white magic that sailed through the air like a white comet. Cynder watched in horror as the spikes grew larger, stopping the spin but not her momentum as she shut her eyes as a sudden cold blast erupted in her path. In a flash, she slammed hard against a wall of hardened snow which had appeared after the blast, her eyes shooting open with the deadly spikes barely an inch from her body!

Her heart was still pounding as she saw them, the wall of snow barely higher than her own height, but was just thick enough to cushion her from being impaled. Looking across the chamber, she saw Ember lying flat on the ground, facing her and realizing she was the source of the barrier that had saved her life. Their eyes met in a thankful gaze as Cynder caught sight of Hunter, still firing arrows at the Ice King to draw its attention, the Troll effortlessly blocking them with its armored left hand as it strode ever closer to him. Hunter turned his back and began sliding like his feet were blades cutting across the ice, trying to put some distance between them as he skated away. Cynder pulled herself off the snow barrier and pushed herself back to her feet, flapping her wings and taking to the air once again towards the giant ghoul. The certain death she had narrowly avoided had made her angry, the black dragoness swooping in like an angel of vengeance as she showed her fangs and attacked the Ice King from behind.

"Heads up, you undead creep!" she snarled as she slammed her weight into the creatures back, the Troll being knocked forward as it tried to turn its head to its attacker. Her claws ripped into the Troll's cape as she thrashed and bit, jumping across to the monster's right shoulder as it tried to clap its hand over her. It thrashed itself around, trying to throw her off as she clambered over its helmet and back, the deadly dance as invigorating to watch as it was frightening. Ember forced herself up, growling like a she was five times her size as she shook herself like a dog, the remaining crust of ice on her back and wings breaking off in a cloud of misty icicles. She flexed her new found mobility as she flapped her wings, relieved to feel them lifting her as she looked thankfully across to Flame for his help as she soared back into the fight. He could only watch her with a weak smile as he saw her go, the sense that he had become dead weight spurring him to try and find the strength to overcome the debilitating cold.

As Hunter turned back from his tactical retreat, he saw Ember zooming back into the fray, cracking a proud smirk as he took aim with his bow again, aiming for the creature's icy hand as it still grasped for Cynder. She leapt across again to the monster's left shoulder, the frozen poleaxe too cumbersome to be off any use as she slashed her tail at the gaps between the neck and shoulders, Hunter releasing his shot as the frozen hand reached for her. The black dragoness leapt off into the air as the ghoul's hand clapped its shoulder just as the arrow struck it, the Ice King growling in pain as she nimbly swept away. Ember flew in low, a hissing cloud of smoky white Ice breath escaping her maw and casting across the Troll's feet, the monster lurching to a halt as she swept past as its pole axe swung after her, the Ice King's feet entrapped in white icebergs!

"Better late than never!" Cynder jeered as she flew up beside her, the pair watching the struggling monster with no short amount of satisfaction as it angrily swiped the air with its poleaxe, though they were out of reach.

"Nice work!" commended Hunter, "We're doing it!"

Just then, the Ice King bellowed again as it summoned the spinning ice sphere once more, holding out its clenched fists as its whole body began to tremble most worrisomely. The Troll breathed heavily, shaking like it was beset by some new kind of energy.

"What's its doing?" asked Ember with acute concern.

"I don't know," Hunter replied, his brow deepening with worry, "Everyone fall back, back to Flame's position!"

The red dragon stood uneasily out from his cover as he saw the others coming back to him, the armored giant now shaking like a demon was coursing through its body, its hands glowing with the misty blue aura that it had first used to conjure the shower of razor-sharp icicles earlier in the battle. Hunter moved up just in front of Flame as Cynder and Ember, left and right, descended from their hovers and took a place either side of him. He realized they were there to protect him because they still viewed him as incapacitated, unable to fight like them. The feeling of uselessness was now worse than the cold that was freezing his blood and smothering the fire in his belly. Somehow, he knew that if Spyro had been there, he would have known just what to say or do to make him feel better, but they weren't Spyro, no matter how well meaning they were.

The Ice King's arms suddenly slammed inwards and clenched hard in front of it around the pole axe, holding it up vertically as its unnatural shuddering come to an end, the glowing mist from its hands erupted in a glittering burst almost like a tongue of blue fire. It raised the pole axe up with a guttural snarl, slamming the base down into the white icebergs entrapping its feet, the icebergs shattering and blasting apart with violent intensity as their remains scattered across the floor of the chamber!

"Brace yourselves!" Hunter warned, reaching for another arrow and realizing to his horror that there was but one left as the Ice King triumphantly lifted its freed feet and laughed mockingly, the three young dragons looking cautiously between themselves, particularly the sickly-looking red dragon standing in the middle.

"Flame, we need you in this," Ember said to him tensely, "We really need you!"

"I'm t-trying…" he replied exasperatedly, trying to keep himself steady, "I'm sorry…"

"You can do it!" Cynder told him in a spritely voice, giving him a nudge with her shoulder that almost knocked him back down again.

"It would be most helpful…" Hunter added shortly as he aimed his bow at the Ice King, anxiously observing its behavior. The spinning ice sphere faded away again as the monster hunched down and held its pole axe across its front, its single eye glowing murderously. Before any of them could think of what to do next, the ghoul's armored body began to glow with the mystical blue haze as if becoming empowered, the force channeling through into the frozen pole axe, making it glow almost beautifully as the Ice King thundered a roar across the chamber. It suddenly lifted its pole axe and struck the ground with its blade, the whole floor of the chamber echoed as the ground before the ghoul cracked and popped out like pieces of a puzzle, spreading across like waves rolling in the surf towards them!

"Get back!" Hunter warned, but it was too late. The ripple through the ground came so fast they had not a chance to react, he and the three young dragons caught in the tumble as the bouncing columns of ice rolled under and threw them about like wine in a half empty barrel. The group was tossed about as the floor jumped several feet up from under them, not dissimilar to the abilities of an Earth Dragon as each piece settled back into the ground as the ripple faded out. Cynder fell down hard as she landed in a heap away from the others, who had all become scattered across the chamber. Hunter had been tossed to the right of the group and lost his final arrow while Flame and Ember had been knocked separately to the rear. The sudden collapsed left them all winded, the Ice King pulling its poleaxe from the ground as it braced it across its chest.

"Hunter! Ember! Flame! Are you okay?" called Cynder as she winced and struggled back to her feet as another roar caught her attention. The Ice King clutched its poleaxe as its mystical luminance began to radiate again, spreading through the black and orange armor of the Troll as it broke into a charge, moving faster than ever before as its callosal sabatons slammed the ground with every step!

"Everyone move! Move!" snapped Hunter as he tried clambering to his feet, the giant ghoul closing in with frightening speed, no longer the lumbering beast they had first seen as it closed in for the kill. It ignored Hunter to its left as he barely made it to his feet, the monster's single eye tracking one of the group in particular; Ember, the one who had frozen its feet in icebergs! Laying across the floor, Flame looked across to his right at her as the pink dragoness let out a shrill gasp of fear as the ghoul ran at her with poleaxe braced to sever her. His mouth opened in fear as he saw her demise just moments away, suddenly noticing how much hotter he felt all of sudden as a tiny spark of fire popped like a firecracker in his throat. Ember screamed as the axe blade came hurtling down at her, just as a stream of orange Fire breath from the left filled her view, streaking like a flaming knife across the chamber in front of her, the axe of ice falling into it!

The blade of the axe instantly vaporized as the Ice King uttered a confused roar as the headless shaft of its weapon slammed into the ground just short of Ember, the dragoness tearing up the floor under her as she scrambled away as the fire died down. Looking across she saw Flame, standing upright on two legs with an enraged look on his face, a black streak staining the ground in front of him in a wide path of soot where he had cast his renewed element. The Ice King looked at is damaged weapon and then dragged its eye along the blackened path as Ember rushed up beside the heroic red dragon.

"Flame! I..I mean you…"

"You okay?" he asked curtly.

"How did you do that?" she asked back, marveled at his sudden recovery.

"Good," he replied, apparently not realizing she had given him a question instead of an answer. Off to the side, Cynder was just as gladdened by Flame finding his strength, especially at such a critical moment. It was not hard to guess what had bought him back into the fight, but neither was it hard to guess that Ember would not pick up the obvious hint yet again. The Ice King's hands shook with anger as it viewed its damaged weapon, but then held it up to its mouth, surely ready to use its own freezing breath to forge another on the spot. Just then a flash of movement from behind it caught the attention of the whole chamber as the Ice King tried to look behind as Hunter, taking advantage, scrambled up the King's ravaged cape, sword in hand!

Without hesitating, the three dragons acted simultaneously, taking to the air to support their friend and leader. The armored ghoul thrashed about, trying to grasp at the Cheetah as he hung onto the back of the cape, the three dragons swooping and circling the dueling duo. Pulling himself up and grabbing onto its helmet like he was riding a bull, Hunter flipped his sword over in his palm as he aimed for the thin gaps between the helmet and the upper torso, delivering the first thrust with a long-withheld war cry. The Ice King roared in pain as Hunter delivered several more relentless thrusts, Cynder swooping in with the scythe of her tail, cleaving off a good quarter of the remaining shaft of the headless poleaxe as it was lashed about the air at them. In a moment of desperate pain, the armored giant threw aside the headless shaft and grasped with both hands behind its back, seizing Hunter in its grip! It hurled the Cheetah warrior over its head and clutched him with shuddering anger in its hands, ready to rip him apart from sheer rage as Hunter stabbed at its hands to escape.

"Not today, your highness!" Flame cried out as though he was play acting as the hero in his own adventure, he and Ember sweeping around from behind on both sides as Cynder came barreling down straight towards the ghoul. A flourishing spray of fire lit up the creature's right side, the Ice King roaring as it tried to turn away just as a blistering gale of ice hardened across its left side. Flame and Ember sped past each other as Cynder came for the knockout, a swirl of wind spinning around her that launched the dragoness like a ballista straight at the ghoul, her lowered horns slamming like a giant fist into the creature's chest! The Ice King was knocked off its armored feet, Cynder bouncing back in a partial daze as the monster lost its grip of Hunter who fell into a barrel roll as he hit the ground. The great Troll stumbled and fell over on its back with an ear ravaging crash, the icy floor cracking and buckling under the impact of its enormous weight. The three dragons swept back and regrouped around Hunter who was holding a paw over his chest from the exhilaration of the sudden rescue.

"You alright, Hunter?" Ember asked as she and the others hovered around him. The Cheetah warrior let out a short, breathless laugh as he was sure they too could feel his heaving heartbeat.

"I only wish the others had been here to see that!" he replied in one of his rare moments of unreserved excitement. The elation was brief as an angry growl drew their eyes back to the Ice King as it lifted its hands in fury as it lay on its back before slamming its fists down on the cracked ground. The flames on its right side had died out and the layer of ice on its left had been broken by the monster shifting its weight as it pushed itself back up, but the damage was obvious. Pieces of armor had fallen away or been broken, revealing the decaying skeleton and strips of sickly green flesh beneath the armored shell, much like the Troll soldiers and Wraiths they had fought earlier. The frozen horns of its helmet were now completely broken, but its single glowing eye still burned with the lust for vengeance.

The Ice King lifted its right arm and looked to its frozen hand, another shivering blast of ice casting from the blackness of its helmet as it formed another weapon; a fearsome mace with a cylindrical head and an array of spikes covering it, with one long horn like spike pointing out from the top. As soon as the weapon came into shape, it raised its left hand to the group and motioned at them to come at it. The Ice King was not defeated yet!

"Guess he's still not getting the picture," Cynder remarked sarcastically.

"Maybe we should draw him one?" Flame suggested, apparently seriously.

Ember scowled, "I'm ready for his reign to end. Anyone else?"

"Agreed," Hunter nodded as he held up his sword readily, "For Volteer! For the Legion!" he proclaimed stoutly, the three young dragons cheering in agreement.

'For Spyro,' Cynder added mentally before she and the others took off into the fight. The Ice King did not advance, waiting instead for them to come as it braced itself and held out its hand as if ready to snatch them up if they came too close. They could not know what other surprises it might have or if it could still conjure the sphere of ice that had incapacitated Flame, but slay the King they were sure they would. Hunter skated across the ice with now effortless precision, Cynder, Ember and Flame fanning out as they swept through the air towards the giant troll. It lurched forward and released a shimmering cloud of its own Ice breath at them, casting it wide and forcing them to break away to avoid it.

Hunter daringly dropped down on his left side, his speed carrying him on as he slid across the ice, under the freezing cloud and under the creature, slashing with his sword at its now exposed shin. The Ice King roared as he slid by, raising its foot to try and stomp him as he passed through its legs, Hunter spinning himself as Cynder suddenly appeared before the Troll. A hard blow of her Wind breath disorientated it enough to allow the Cheetah to escape, Cynder flipping over in the air to dodge the retaliatory mace swipe, quickly sweeping away as Flame and Ember made their own attacks. A burst of Fire breath drew its attention left before a burst of Ice breath drew its attention right, the pair swooping and diving in an aerial ballet of fire and ice as the ghoul slashed and swiped the air, one side of its body burning one moment and freezing the next, but fight on it did. With a roar, it conjured its spinning energy shield yet again, the now wiser young dragons kept well away as the spinning sphere enveloped the wounded ghoul. It made to chase after them, the armored giant shaking the ground as it tried to run, slower now as it was no longer invigorated by the sudden influx of power as before.

"Keep your distance!" Hunter yelled out, Cynder, Ember and Flame sweeping through the air around the chamber as the Cheetah skated along the ice beneath them, the Ice King stomping the ground after them. They found themselves moving towards the prison where Volteer, still seemingly unaware, hung helplessly as the group split into pairs. Flame and Ember went left while Cynder and Hunter went right, the split confounding the Ice King as it came to halt, its shield still shimmering as it braced for them to attack.

"Wait for the shield to die down!" Hunter ordered as he skidded to a halt next to one of the ice pillars, Cynder hovering close by him as she watched the giant Troll cautiously while Flame and Ember flew as a pair on the other side of the monster, banking back and forth as they waited for the right moment. The Ice King turned itself between them as it waved at them to come on, tapping the head of the mace menacingly on its hand. Cynder's sharp eyes were drawn to the protruding spike on its head, noticing that it seemed to have a more crystal-like appearance than the other spikes, despite them all being made of solid ice…

Flame and Ember swept around, the red dragon anxious to send more fireballs at the Troll once its shield was down, confident now that had he not been near frozen by the effects of the energy shield, his Fire breath alone would have bought the monstrous monarch to an end ages ago. But he also knew had Spyro been there, it would have been sooner than that, so he had much to catch up to.

At last, the shield of blue energy shrank and vanished, the Ice King gripping its mace in both hands as it anticipated the imminent attack. At once, Flame and Ember turned towards it, Cynder taking off as Hunter skated along the ice with sword at the ready. The Ice King watched them come, hardening its grip on the mace as it suddenly swung it around and pointed the head of it towards them, the long spike aimed at them. The spike instantly glowed in a piercing blue light, projecting a shimmering beam towards them!

"Cover!" Hunter yelled as a stream that resembled ice infused lightning shot towards them, the stream shooting through the group as they scattered to avoid it, crashing through into the spiked wall behind them! It was not just a mace, but a scepter and had immediately put them on the backfoot. The beam cut off shortly, the Ice King uttering a menacing laugh before it took aim again, unleashing another roaring stream of freezing energy on them. Hunter ducked behind the nearest pillar as did Cynder while Flame and Ember flew about in a panic, narrowly avoiding crashing into each other as they ducked and weaved to avoid the bursts of ice being projected at them. The Ice King continued laughing as it reveled in how quickly it had turned the tables in the face of the enemy who thought they had it defeated. With renewed confidence, the monster began moving about the chamber, pursuing its prey as its icy streams crisscrossed the air as Hunter's party fell into disarray.

"Ember, get down!" Flame cried out as she ducked out of the way, the red dragon frantically spitting a fireball towards the Troll, the orange sphere spinning and falling short as it exploded on the ground, the Ice King aiming the mace at him as he quickly dived down before the icy stream could hit him. He flew down and near crash dived behind a frozen pillar with Ember, Cynder and Hunter still covering behind their own pillar on the other side of the chamber.

"Are you guys okay?" Cynder called out.

"Not really!" Ember shouted back as she peered out from her cover to see the giant Troll was looking right at them, grabbing its mace low down on its shaft as it began running towards them, each step nearly making them bounce off the floor.

"Get out of there!" Hunter yelled out, the Ice King readying itself to swing as Flame and Ember looked on in panic as the ghoul closed in! With a shove from the red dragon, Ember took off with her companion only a step behind as they flew barely above the ground, the Ice King's strike coming in right behind them as its mace swung across, crashing through the ice pillar with nerve-racking ease, chunks of frozen debris scattering through the air and over the floor. Specks of ice struck Flame and Ember from behind as they fled, but it did not slow them as they rushed towards Cynder and Hunter. The Ice King choose not to pursue, instead taking aim with its mace again as the enchanted spike glowed with its deadly luminance.

"Watch out!" Cynder warned as she and Hunter scurried around the other side of the pillar, Flame and Ember dodging however they could as the deadly ice stream shot after them. The stream blasted like a glistening rope of energy that shot over the pillar and across the air as Cynder peeked out. The Ice King cut off the stream once again, grumbling in frustration that it had so far missed, until its one eye locked onto the black dragoness and it clenched the mace in another haughty grip, ready to settle on new prey.

"He's coming!" she cried as the ghoul broke into another charge, ready to shatter their cover as it had for Flame and Ember. Hunter only nodded and waved at her to go as the ground shook again to the monster's feet. They both made a dash, Cynder's wings carrying her ahead as Hunter stumbled and fell on the ice, she looking back just as the Ice King made its next swing. The mace struck the ice pillar and shattered it just like the last, the Cheetah caught in a surge of icy debris that sent him tumbling across the ground as the three dragons ducked behind their wings to avoid the storm of shrapnel. As Cynder lifted her wings to peep out, the Ice King was towering above as Hunter lay dazed across the floor, surrounded by shattered blocks of ice, some as small as a locket, others as large as a cart.

The armored skeleton fixated on Hunter, ready to settle for the easy kill as it stepped forward and raised its mace to pummel the helpless feline. Cynder gasped as she watched, her mind racing to a large chunk of ice off to her side, larger than her, the only thing she thought might work. With instant timing, she cast her Wind breath towards it, the block lifting just off the ground as a near invisible bundle of air embraced it, Cynder wincing hard as she tossed her head to the side, hurling the block through the air towards the Ice King. The block struck the monster's chest with a crashing blow, the ghoul stumbling back with a painful growl as the block broke apart from the fierce impact. Regaining his senses, Hunter scrambled back to his feet, clawing his way up the ice before skating again as the monster set its eye vengefully on Cynder as it readied to aim its scepter at her.

"Run, Cynder!" she heard Hunter say as he rushed by her, but she knew in her heart she would not outrun the scepters freezing beam as she stood still in terror. Shaking herself loose, she eyed another large fragment to hurl at the beast as the long spike on the mace glowed towards her, the black dragoness casting her Wind breath to the block of ice, fearing she was too late. Suddenly, a stream of glowing fire shot over top of her and clashed with the icy beam of the scepter before it could strike her. Cynder watched with wide eyes as the two currents smacked into each other like two fists of elemental fury, orange and blue jousting with each other. She looked over to see Flame hovering just above and behind her, his eyes intense as the burning fire of his belly scorched through the freezing air, the two streams giving and taking as they pushed against the other.

The Ice King's arms quivered as they clung tightly to the mace, clearly struggling against the tide of fire as Ember suddenly flew in from beside the red dragon, closing to the ghoul as she released her own Ice breath. She unleashed a glittering barrage of ice shards directly upon the creature's face, the Ice King snarling and raising its left arm to cover itself as she unrelentingly kept up the barrage, its right arm barely coping with the strain of singling holding the projecting scepter.

"Cynder, get back!" she heard Hunter cry as he appeared at her side, putting his paw on her shoulder and beckoning her to follow, but the black dragoness instead pulled away from his reach and moved towards the danger her friends were holding back. She eyed the same broken chunk of ice again, casting her Wind breath to grasp it, the frozen debris lifting from the ground before she reeled back and swung her head around, sending it careening towards the Ice King. It struck with another crushing blow, knocking it off balance again as its scepters beam cut off and Flame's torrent of fire reached through to the monstrous ghoul. In moments, fire clung to the chest of the beast as it spread about the rest of its torso, Ember cutting off her ice stream and retreating to Flame as the Ice King flailed its arms, dropping the mace while screeching and roaring in agony.

When it seemed it would be the final nail for the ghoul, it suddenly broke into a charge, blindly rushing forward as fire spread about the decaying flesh of the undead monster. The red dragon cut off his Fire breath and swiftly dived out of the way, as did Ember and Cynder while Hunter barrel rolled out of the way as the Ice King came roaring past them in a blaze. It ran across the other side of the chamber just short of the protruding spikes, trying to dab out the flames that were consuming it. Instinctively, the three dragons all looked across to each other as they all saw the chance they had been presented with, concurred by Hunter.

"Now's your chance!" he exclaimed urgently, "Finish it!"

With the flames partially died down, the Ice King turned back to face its enemies, clenching its hands into another furious bellow as its one eye was met with the sight of the three young dragons taking off in unison, flying abreast and soaring in for the final blow! It reached out with its hands as it took a step, just as a fireball struck its chest in a fiery blast that stopped it dead, Ember and Flame flying ahead just out of the creature's reach before they both unleashed a near blinding duo of Fire and Ice breath together. The duel streams burned and froze their way through the monster's hands and flourished over its body, the polar opposite elements working in tandem as the Ice King thrashed and floundered in their wake. Between them, Cynder hovered slightly back and above as she added in her own element, a wide gale of wind spread out across the geysers of fire and ice, intensifying both streams as Flame's Fire breath whooshed and Ember's Ice breath sang like a blizzard! Armor melted as bones stiffened and cracked under the freezing and burning assault, the Ice King stumbling back as the spikes drew ever nearer to it, Hunter suddenly sliding in under the three hovering dragons and holding up his left paw in a sign of halt, "Hold your breath!"

Though confused, the three young dragons obeyed the order and cut off their elemental streams, hovering in place while the Ice King was still reeling and wallowing in furious pain as Hunter lifted his bow, the trio seeing him take aim with the final arrow he had apparently recovered moments earlier. The Cheetah warrior steadied his breath as he sighted the creatures head, its body half ablaze and half coated in layers of ice as it fought through the pain long enough to glare at them, the Ice King shaking with earth shattering rage as it leaned forward and unleashed another thunderous, bone chilling roar of hatred at them. As its one glowing eye seemed to grow, Hunter found his target.

"Long live the king…" he muttered scornfully just before the released the bow.

The arrow shot across the air and through the blackness of the troll's hidden face, the light of its eye extinguishing in a flash. The Ice King reeled back in an instant, the shock delaying the expected roar for a moment as it trembled back in a spasm of agony, straight into the rows of pointed ice spikes. Cynder, Ember and Flame all dropped down behind Hunter as the monster became ridged as the spikes impaled its body, boring through its back and out its exposed chest and limbs as it began convulsing. Hunter waved them cautiously back as he stepped backward, wary of yet another hidden weapon or ability it had yet to show them.

A few tense moments past, the sound of heavy ice cracking filled their hearts with fear as the spikes impaling the Ice king broke free from the wall, remaining imbedded in the ravaged body as the ghoul fell onto its knees and collapsed face first onto the chamber floor, a cloud of misty ice erupting under its weight, a faint grunt showing it was still alive.

The group watched warily as the creature's helmet began to lift, its charred and blackened left arm making a final, desperate reach for them as its eyeless face gazed up to where it knew they were. Its fingers quivered as did the rest of its body when suddenly, a sickly green glow flashed into life like a surge of electricity! Hunter forced the others back as the green energy rippled through the body of the dying Ice King; flowing and sizzling currents of ominous green magic erupted through every wound and orifice, filling the black face of the helmet with smoky green light. The escaping energy suddenly leapt from the body like an exorcised spirit, the Ice King's head and arm falling limp as the essence hovered above in a translucent, jade cloud, slowing pulling into itself as it grew brighter every moment. The Cheetah and trio of dragons watched in fear and awe as an orb of bright lime formed from the shrinking cloud, glowing like a green sun as it fizzed like a lightning bolt. The light became blinding as the group tried to protect their eyes, green becoming almost white as the orb grew in size and seemed poised to consume them and the whole chamber.

The orb suddenly shattered in a flash of crackling energy, echoing through the chamber as a shockwave of green rings blasted through the air like ripples on a still pond, evaporating in a flash nearly too fast to see as Hunter, Cynder, Flame and Ember finally opened their eyes. The icy chamber remained just as it had been, they and it seemingly none the worse in the face of the strange phenomenon. The Ice King remained face down on the floor, the light and life gone from its body as whatever unnatural influence had kept it alive had made its overdue exit. After a few moments, the cautious silence was abruptly broken.

"What was that?!" Flame exclaimed exuberantly.

"Stay here," was all Hunter said as he began moving towards the body, holding his sword at the ready. The Cheetah and trio of dragons remained wary, watching as the giant ghoul's body lay motionless on the frozen chamber's floor, wary of any concealed attempt to catch them off guard. Hunter again motioned for them to wait as he walked over to the Ice King, his paws clenched tensely. He stopped a few feet from the head of the ghoul, staring at it carefully as he looked upon the spikes in its back and the destruction wreaked upon its skeletal body by himself and the three young dragons. He readied his sword and with cold, swift precision, drove it fiercely into the back of the creature's neck as a final test of its lifelessness. He wrangled the sword for a few moments before finally drawing it out with a gruesome yank of his arms. The body did not stir, but only when he looked at the dragon trio and nodded did they finally know the Ice King was dead. It was dead and they were alive, at least so far this day.

End of Chapter 9

Next Chapter: Fearnaught

Update from the author:

Thank you for reading Chapter 9, I hope you enjoyed it. Below I want to give some information on how things are progressing and what the future holds for this story.

At the time of posting this chapter, I am about to begin work on Chapter 21 one so you know how far ahead I am. This will bring Book II up to the same length as Book I, but I'm not finished yet. I estimate Book II will total around 30 chapters in total, though it may come in slightly more or slightly less than that. So I have a good head start, but I am trying to keep myself to the schedule of finishing one chapter a month as well posting one a month to keep it balanced.

That being said, for August I have decided I will post two chapters, if not one the same day then close to each other. This is because Chapters 10 and 11 started as one but ended up becoming two as they became longer and I feel its needed to keep the pace of the story going. As a result, there will not be a chapter posted in September since two will be posted in August.

My hope is that by keeping with this schedule I will have Book III well underway by the time the entirety of Book II is posted, meaning it will not be another long wait before you get to read the final part of this trilogy. This means there will not be a big posting of chapters once I finish Book II but will stay with the monthly upload. I hope this doesn't disappoint anyone, but I hope you will still be here when I finally get to Book III. Thank you for taking the time to read this and have a great day!