Storms of Destiny
Chapter 16: Pol and Royuko's Descent
The icy winds outside FrostBane Isle howled like tormented spirits, clawing at the jagged cliffs and swirling snow into ghostly shapes. But deep within the caverns, all was eerily still.
Crystals clung to the stone walls, catching fragments of light and splintering them into sharp-edged patterns across the narrow passage. The deeper they went, the more the cold began to gnaw at them—not just at their bodies, but at something deeper.
Pol ST Daniel, captain of the Aurion and bearer of the Flaminger bloodline, moved with steady purpose, the subtle warmth of his inner fire keeping the cold at bay. Just behind him walked Royuko, the crew's silent bowmaster, a hunter whose eyes missed nothing, though the frost still bit at his limbs through the thick fur-lined coat he wore.
"We've got to stay alert," Pol said, his voice bouncing off the stone like a whisper too loud for the silence.
Royuko smirked, adjusting the strap of the quiver slung across his back. His fingers brushed the curved wood of his bow, cold as ice.
"Don't worry, Captain," he said, his voice low. "I've got your back. But this place… it gives me the creeps."
Pol nodded grimly. "It should. Something about this cavern feels... off."
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A Whisper in the Dark
With each step, the cold deepened—not the natural cold of winter, but a deathly chill that settled in the bones. The walls pulsed faintly with a light that didn't belong, as if alive and breathing just beneath the surface.
"You doing okay?" Pol asked, glancing back.
Royuko exhaled slowly, his breath misting. "Fine. Just… doesn't feel like a place meant for the living. These walls. This silence. It's like we're walking through something's lungs."
Then it came: a whisper.
Barely audible, it slithered through the corridor like smoke. Pol stopped. So did Royuko.
"Did you hear that?" Royuko asked, already pulling an arrow from his quiver.
Pol didn't answer. His eyes narrowed, ears straining. The whisper came again—soft, musical, and utterly wrong. Not a voice, but a melody without source. It echoed around them, from every direction at once.
Pol lit a small flare of Flamo in his palm. The light flickered and danced across the frost-coated walls, but it did nothing to pierce the directionless sound.
"Stay close," Pol murmured.
They moved on, faster now.
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The Frozen Lake
The tunnel gave way suddenly to a vast, domed chamber. At its center lay a frozen lake—an expanse of flawless, glasslike ice that shimmered under the cavern's glow. Suspended above it was a fractured skylight of icicles, feeding pale blue light into the room.
And there, standing motionless in the lake's center, was a statue.
No—not a statue.
A warrior. Towering and still, carved entirely of ice, holding a blade aloft as if forever ready to strike.
Royuko stepped carefully toward the lake's edge, his eyes never leaving the figure. "What the hell is that?"
Pol narrowed his gaze. "It's not just a statue… It's a guardian."
And as if summoned by the name, its eyes snapped open—twin flames of glowing blue. Cracks tore across the ice beneath its feet. A low, grinding rumble filled the chamber.
The guardian moved.
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Battle with the Frozen Guardian
Its sword, half the size of a grown man, cleaved the air. A wave of razor-sharp ice shards launched outward like missiles.
Pol's instincts kicked in. His palm flared and a burst of Flamo engulfed the incoming shards, melting them mid-air into a shower of steam.
"Royuko! Cover me!" Pol shouted, already breaking into a sprint across the ice.
Royuko dropped to one knee, arrow notched in an instant. "On it!"
He fired a rapid volley—three arrows whistling in perfect unison toward the guardian's joints. But they struck with a dull ping, bouncing off the frozen armor.
Pol launched a Flame Bullet, its heat searing the air as it slammed into the guardian's chest. Ice cracked—deep, spiderweb fractures splintered across its torso—but it didn't fall.
"It's tougher than it looks!" Pol growled, rolling aside as the sword came down with an earthshaking CRASH.
Royuko adjusted his aim. This time, not at the guardian—but above it.
He loosed an arrow at the cavern ceiling. It struck true. A massive icicle cracked, trembled, then plummeted.
It crashed down on the guardian's head, staggering the giant.
Pol's flames roared brighter.
He dashed in, leaping high, and drove a searing punch into the guardian's core—his Flamo channeled directly into the cracking center.
The guardian released a deafening roar. Steam hissed. Cracks exploded outward.
Then it collapsed—melting, steaming, and falling apart in chunks of slush and shattered ice.
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A New Threat
Silence returned.
Royuko exhaled, lowering his bow. "That... was close."
Pol didn't answer right away. His eyes scanned the chamber, his senses still on high alert. "This was no random monster. That was a placed guardian."
"You think the Order of Eclipsia put it here?"
Pol nodded slowly. "To slow us down. To send a message. Maybe even to separate us."
Royuko's smirk returned, colder now. "Let them try again. We're not breaking."
"We need to regroup with the others. Fast. This place… it's not just cold. It's alive."
The Two Crewmates Now standing In The Middle Of The Chamber, Waiting For Their Other Crewmates.
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Chapter End
To be continued...
Next in Chapter 17:Kaiden and Sakani's Descent