Chapter 17: Endless Cold

“Ugh… where am I? Why is it so dark in here?” Chris’ voice echoed in the midst of a vast lightless void.

“Lillin? Grunt? Can anyone here me!?” he shouted. “This is probably just a dream.”

Chris hit himself hard but he did not feel anything.

“I knew it! This is a dream! But why does it feel so real?” Chris was so lost in thought.

A small light emanated from afar, and in a split second, everything became bright. When Chris opened his eyes, he found himself in an icy terrain surrounded by mountains. The ground is covered entirely with snow.

“From total darkness, now I’m in a snow-covered land. What the heck is happening? I still can’t feel a single thing!” Chris remarked to himself, slightly annoyed by what’s happening to him.

Chris started walking to look for a village where he can stay. After a few minutes of walking, dark clouds started to form. Chris knew that a blizzard is coming. He was right. Seconds later, strong winds built up. Temperature is getting lower and lower but Chris’ numb body couldn’t feel it. He found a small opening that looks like a cave and went inside.

For nine days and nine nights, the blizzard didn’t stop. Chris stayed inside the cave, without the feeling of cold, hunger, and thirst. The cold blizzard also blew away Chris’ anger, boredom, and all his emotions. He just lied inside the cave and waited for the blizzard to end.

When Chris woke up the next morning, his body was sore and his stomach was grumbling with so much pain.

“Aaaaarrgghhhhh!!!!!” Chris screamed from the sudden pain that he is feeling.

“So this must be what Grunt was telling me… On the tenth day, I will feel everything that my body should have felt during those nine days…”

Chris became like a madman. He punched the cave walls and banged his head in agony. His screams echoed inside the cave. It is a scream of pain nobody else has endured before.

“Is this the challenge you want, huh!? Lillin, just give me one day and I’ll be able to craft you a beautiful ice crystal.”

His body is shivering nonstop and the pain in his entire body is like a thousand needles piercing repeatedly through his skin. He let out a big, tormented shout and then he collapsed.

Chapter 9: The Hidden Talent Revealed

“Dieeee!!!!!” Chris’ scream resounded with fury.

Fire goblins fell to the ground one by one with every swing of Chris’ sword. Grunt, on the other hand, slowly pounded his opponents to the ground. Lillin maintained a safe distance and shot any goblin that tried to go near.

As more goblins came into the room, Chris ran immediately towards their leader to quickly finish it off. The goblins quickly surrounded him to protect their leader.

“Slicing dervish!” Chris shouted while whirling his sword.

The attack killed all the goblins around him. He then dashed towards the leader, but Purete used its fire magic to fend Chris off.

“Chris!” Lillin shouted with worry.

“I’m fine!” Chris shouted back, but he’s suffering from major burns.

The two couldn’t help him because of the sheer number of fire goblins in the room. Purete prepared to cast his deadliest fire attack and aimed it at Chris. After a few seconds, fiery rocks fell from the ceiling of the cavern and fell straight at Chris.

“Chris, no!!!” Lillin screamed.

She charged her remaining mana to fire her ultimate attack.

“Electric cannon!”

Several bursts of electricity came from her rifle and killed most of the fire goblins in the room. She then slowly fell on her feet due to exhaustion. Grunt rushed towards her to protect her from the other goblins that are still alive.

On the other hand, the rocks that fell at Chris started to move and the flames started to freeze. Slowly, cracks from the rocks appeared, and broke into pieces. Grunt couldn’t believe what he just saw.

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!” Chris’s voice echoed again in the entire room.

His body is covered with white smoke and small shards of ice are floating around him. He looks very calm, yet his power is much greater than before.

“It can’t be! The chief is right…” Grunt exclaimed.

Chapter 1: Chris

“Run!!!”

The terrified screams of the villagers rang across the fiery sky as the fire goblins raided the once peaceful town of Seren. Bodies of defenseless humans fell one by one, and the ground was painted red with blood and fire.

“Stay here! Don’t come out no matter what happens,” says a bearded man.

“No! I’m scared. Don’t leave me here, Father!” the voice of the child was barely heard.

Wielding his iron sword and shield, the man calmly said, “I will be alright. It is my duty to protect our town. The Cyclops will come to our aid so you need not worry.”

The man departed the house. The young child anxiously waited for the arrival of his honorable father. Minutes passed and the screaming and wailing slowly faded. Then, there was silence.

“Father?” the child whispered.

He slowly crawled out of the cupboard. Shaking, but with great determination, he peeked through their battered door. Outside lies the bodies of villagers, soaked in their own blood. The stench of burnt flesh and blood seeped through the tiny holes of the door. Terrified, the boy let out a gasp. It was then when he saw five fire goblins, gathered around a seemingly familiar form. It was the corpse of his father, with his sword still pierced through the heart of the goblin’s leader. The other goblins are desecrating the corpse as if in grieve retaliation.

Filled with anger, the boy dashed outside and charged towards the goblins. Startled, the goblins prepared to attack, but the boy suddenly collapsed when hit by something from behind.

“Father… no…” were the final words of the boy.

__________________

“It’s that dream again,” says Chris as he slowly wakes up from his deep slumber.

Lillin, a female Satyr travelling with Chris, noticed that he is awake. “Are you really sure about this quest you are speaking of? You have been dreaming the same dream ever since you ventured outside your village.”

“I have dedicated my whole life to fulfill this mission. The horrors of the day Seren was attacked will never leave me until I extinguish every last fire goblin in Uld!” Chris said to her worried companion. “Petty dreams like this will not stop me from my goal!”

With those words, the two started to pack their bags and headed out to the Mountain of Icepeaks.