The wind screamed in my ears as it whipped and thrashed at my body. I wondered why I hadn't put more stock into purchasing some heavier clothes while I still had the chance, I mean I did have a huge discount working in my favor. I guess I was too excited at the thought of the next adventure.
I made my way through the frozen pass, snow crunching beneath my boots. I could finally, truly see the Ice Mage's fortress. The thing was a massive black structure, though one would hardly be able to tell beneath the sheets upon sheets of snow that covered the thing. Definitely not some gleaming crystalline structure built by a banished princess. Okay, even I felt like this joke was going on too long.
The castle looked to be made of obsidian, which was only made more clear by the sharp jagged peaks that seemed to jut out of the snowy cloak that coated it. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of daggers I could make–or more likely, request someone else to make–out of that material.
As I trudged along, I kept a steady pace, willing my limbs to move forward, knowing that only through constant exertion could I hope to keep the blood flowing through my body. The thought that if I stopped, my blood would slowly ice over and freeze in my veins was a great way to motivate me onward.
I checked my map and there was a clearly defined border around the castle. A red dotted line encircled the fortress, and I was nearly there. As I crossed the border, I felt different, like I was being watched, like a disembodied entity was made away of my presence.
Something was watching me, likely just the system, but it made my frosty skin crawl.
I crept forward, engaging in what I believed to be stealth, down to the crouched movement, slow and methodical, keeping to the jagged ice formations for cover. The main gate was out of the question—it was too obvious, too open. Fortresses like these never let you in the front door. So I needed another way inside.
[System Notification]
"Standard approach detected: 'Sneaky Rat' Mode Activated."
"You could attempt frontal assault... but let's be honest, you'd only serve to paint the front gate a lovely coat of red."
Uncalled for system… Calling me a rat is beneath you, at least be clever with your insults.
I kept moving, scanning for an entrance. The fortress revealed an ominous feature that I hadn't noticed before. It was alive–not in the sense that it was actually living, but I could see features shifting and adjusting to create new rooms or remove old ones. This was going to be one of those annoying labyrinth-type quests, except I couldn't keep my left hand on the wall and cheat my way through it.
There were no clear openings available to me, just sections that appeared and disappeared at will like they were deciding whether or not to exist.
That was not normal.
I exhaled, watching the frost form in the air. I had two options:
Wait for an opening and time my entry. Find a weaker section of the wall and breakthrough.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to decide as something began to move.
I flattened against the ice, watching as a towering construct stomped into view. With a quick examine, I found that I was facing something called, an Ice Sentinel.
A hulking golem-like creature, not terribly different from what I had already faced. Its body formed from thick slabs of enchanted ice. Runes glowed along its limbs, shifting in strange patterns. Almost like the movie…
It stopped mid-step as the runes pulsed.
[System Notification]
"I think it's friendly, you should go and introduce yourself."
"Detection Radius: Expanding. Now's your chance at a good first impression, they are the most important after all."
…
I edged backward, keeping my breathing shallow. I had no idea how this thing worked, but if the system was telling the truth, it sounded like they were some kind of security system to prevent anyone from even attempting to enter the castle. I supposed it was better to fight one big thing, than a hundred little things, but still, that behemoth was certainly imposing.
The Sentinel's head snapped in my direction and I froze, literally, but not like the icy kind of freezing.
The runes pulsed brighter, shifting rapidly.
[System Notification]
"Oh, good job. You just made eye contact with a creature that doesn't have eyes. Real smooth."
"And how was I supposed to avoid that outcome?" I questioned the system, thankful to hear nothing in response.
The golem took a thunderous step forward and I could only be thankful that it didn't cause an avalanche with every movement. That wasn't a challenge though, so y'know what, just forget I said that.
I pivoted hard and sprinted toward the the creature, avoiding its first strike and landing a glancing blow on the hand that sought to use me as finger painting supplies. As far as I could tell, there was little to no damage done. Thankfully, the beast was slow as I made my way behind it, trying for another slash at its ankle, only to meet the same results.
Clearly, my weapons were ill-suited for combat with a golem of pure ice and malice.
It swung its fist around in a wide arc and tore a swath through the ice and earth beneath it. "Fucking AOE attacks, it's trying to sweep right over me!" I cursed to myself as the wall of ice that was its arm came plowing forward.
It wouldn't be a huge jump, maybe five feet. Sure, I would have laid down and died if I were in my original body, but I felt pretty confident I could hurdle over this obstacle. I sheathed one of my daggers and with a leap, I soared over the thing, barely managing to grip a fragment of its frozen body and cling tight, my own partially frozen body going along with the ride. With my dagger hand, I began picking away at the arm, figuring piercing damage would do better than slashing, though what I would give for some blunt damage–that shit did wonders to these kinds of creatures in video games.
I did better this time, though it still felt like mere superficial damage, and I was starting to get dizzy. We managed a single 360-degree spin before I released my hand and was sent flying low and fast away from the monster. I landed fairly gracefully, but just as I did, a rune flashed to life on the ground beneath me.
Of course, there were traps because frosty here wasn't enough.
Magic surged and the ground beneath me split open, jagged ice spikes exploding upward—but I was already gone.
[System Notification]
"Most people would avoid, or possibly work to deactivate the trap. Not you, though. You just run faster. The depths of your strategic cunning know no bounds."
I rolled mid-air, dodging the next set of spikes.
Walls of frost pulsed, activating proximity runes that would have frozen me solid if I had been even a second slower.
I hit the ground, sliding across the ice, and saw my chance. In the form of a newly forming gap. There was just a flicker of an opening in the fortress wall, and I needed to capitalize on it. I pushed off hard, vaulting through, the moment it materialized. For half a second, I thought I made it.
Then I landed wrong and the ice beneath me cracked, and suddenly, the floor wasn't there anymore.
I crashed through the fragile ice, tumbling into a lower chamber with all the grace of a sloth with arm cramps. I landed hard, rolling into a crouch just as the walls sealed behind me and everything went still.
The temperature plummeted if that was even possible, and then a voice entered my mind–no, it rang out all around me. It was smooth and somewhat unnatural, but most of all, it seemed amused with my progress so far.
"You are not like the others."
I stayed still, fingers tightening around my dagger.
"I do not know what you are… but I know what you are not."
The air around me grew heavier, pressing into my chest, and forcing me to focus on each breath.
"A true player."
Okay, what the hell was that supposed to mean?
Most bosses in a game follow a script. They saw you, attacked, died, and respawned for the next sucker who walked through their front door.
This felt different. If that was the Ice Mage, and I assumed it was, it was more than happy to sit back and watch me struggle. I guess it did follow some game tropes, but still, something was off, and I wasn't sure I liked the way it insulted me. I should have gotten used to it already, but it's one thing when the system does it, but et tu, Ice Mage? Et tu?
[System Notification]
"Congratulations! You've achieved 'Failure to Impress the local big bad' status. This achievement comes with no discernible bonuses or stat increases–I just thought you should know."
The voice continued, unfazed by my silence.
"Your movements are strange. You do not behave as the others do. You do not carry a class, yet you wield power. And yet… You are… hollow."
I scoffed, shaking off the unnatural weight pressing down on me. "You're monologuing. Does that mean I'm winning?"
A soft chuckle.
The walls around me rumbled, ice shifting like a living thing.
"Let us see, shall we?"
I had a very bad feeling about what came next.