Ultimate Level 1

Chapter 205: No Way Out

The walls of the ice castle hid the vastness and dangerous side of the boss floor behind it.

Like the minotaur and werewolf tower floor, a town was laid out with streets cut from shaped ice and buildings over seventy feet tall, blocking their vision as cold shadows cast upon them.

“It’s as if they replicated a normal town but amplified everything,” Fowl pondered aloud, stepping through the forty-foot-thick opening in the ice wall. What could be the plan here?”

Max stood there, gazing upon the wide streets, and was hesitant for the first time in a while.

“Magic using giants, each bigger yet not stronger. Their ice magic isn’t so bad that our air walls can’t stop them, but the real problem is how many might come.”

Turning, Max smiled and nodded at Cordellia.

“Of course, with our newest addition blinding them so quickly, our chances are much better.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Cordellia was either blushing or had red cheeks from the cold.

“How many can we take at once?” Tanila asked, keeping close to her fire familiar. “Three? Four?”

“We could choke point right here,” Max replied. The opening isn’t that wide, and with their magic, the ice wall surrounding us would work for using earth and air barriers to protect us from their spells. If Fowl got smacked sideways again, at least it wouldn’t be that far.”

“No… into a massive piece of ice,” their warrior grunted. “Still, it’s not a bad plan. Do you think you can move through the buildings safely and bring some? What happens if like twenty come?”

Rubbing his face, the new skill made Max realize he really no longer felt the cold, especially with the ring equipped.

“I can use my trump card, but I’d rather not… that’s something I prefer to save for the boss.”

“We could retreat to the doors,” Batrire pointed behind them. “They are only open about thirty feet. That would really help hold them at bay and with you and Tanila both casting fire magic, it might actually be the best spot to bring every giant to.”

“That’s my woman!” Fowl exclaimed, winking at their healer.

Everyone nodded; it was actually the best plan. Moving back to the gate, Max started chipping away holes in the ice outside the doors that swung outward. Once he had about three feet dug down, he wedged the axes he had taken from the minotaurs and used them to prop against the ice ridges of the massive doors.

“I can’t promise those will hold long, but it's better than nothing if they try to push against and swing these doors open.”

Fowl nodded and held his position right in the middle of the doors while the other three moved back about twenty yards, the soft snowfall drifting upon them.

“I’ll be back,” Max said with a wink as he ran off into the portcullis.

Slowly, Max made his way through the street that ran right from the portcullis and into town, turning slightly off to the left.

No giants were visible, but he wasn’t going to run through town without a care.

Sneaking along one of the buildings that resembled a house made of stone ice blocks, he considered what he had learned so far and what could be done to help overcome the problems they faced.

Reaching the edge of the building where the first street intersected, Max heard footsteps coming closer. They sounded like massive beasts, and when he peeked quickly around the edge, still about fifty yards off, three giants appeared, each matching the appearance of the first two they encountered.

Staying hidden, he began creating a fireball, letting it build up in power as the three giants drew closer with each step.

Knowing they were only about twenty yards away, he sent the fireball toward them, directing it at the furthest one on the left.

A roar came from the pack, yet he didn’t wait to see if the fireball hit. Instead, he chose to run back toward the entrance.

The sound of their feet hitting the ground told Max they were chasing him now, and glancing over his shoulder revealed that the one he aimed for was a bit behind the other two, the fire having burnt its arm and chest.

His sonar told him a wall was rising before him, and Max darted quickly to the right, avoiding the barrier and dancing back to the left when another appeared a dozen yards past the first.

More roars of frustration and anger came as he ran into the portcullis and led the giants toward his friends.

“Seventy-two,” Fowl muttered. “Seventy-two of these giants. How many more are there?”

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Max shrugged, knocking off another set of horns and storing them.

“Honestly, I think I’ve cleared most of it. They aren’t that densely packed, but this would have been far worse if we fought in the streets.”

“So you want to move and look for the boss?”

Shaking his head at Tanila, Max held up a finger.

“I want to make one more check and make sure there aren’t any more patrols or moving troops. They don’t move fast while just walking around, and the streets go on for a while. You four rest, eat something, and I’ll be back. If it looks clear, we can try to make it to the next wall and through that gate.”

Fowl didn’t wait to relax after receiving permission; he pulled out two wooden chairs he had decided to bring for moments like this.

Chuckling, Max turned and jogged back into the city, wondering if they were finally going to be done with this part of the floor.

Finding the path clear, Max led them toward another wall just as tall as the outer one, yet the gate had been closed. It was just as tall as the first gate, except this one had a massive giant holding a club that appeared to be at least fifteen feet tall in the carving on it.

“That looks foreboding,” Tanila said as she pointed at the image where the head of the giant left horn was snapped off. I’m assuming this is the boss.”

Max nodded and pointed at the wall.

“I can climb it, drop a rope, and we can look down and see what’s on the other side. My only problem is that doing so removes that option later if needed.”

“So, go in blind or risk using a possible escape? And that might also be our one chance to turn the tide to our side?”

Nodding, Max felt his dwarven friend pat him on the back.

“Just checking. Now go push open that door, and let's see what we got.”

Putting both hands on one of the doors, Max gave it a shove, and as always, the size and weight of the door seemed not to matter, opening slowly and soon providing a ten-foot gap for them to move through.

“Let’s go,” Cordellia said, moving past Max and choosing not to be afraid of what lay beyond the gate.

Standing outside the portcullis was a field of snow, sunken down and littered with what looked like broken armor and weapons of failed attackers. The snow that fell had magically grown thick now, no longer the gentle drift but instead large flakes almost assaulted one's face and body as the wind whipped around them.

“Gods, it just got colder,” Fowl muttered as he shuddered, holding his shield and weapon ready. “I can’t see anything past about a hundred yards. You?”

Max shook his head as Cordellia did the same.

“How thick is that snow?” Tanila asked, everyone still standing in the space under the wall.

“We won’t know until we get into it, but that might cause problems with maneuvering. I’d say we could turn around, but the door is already closed.”

“We’re not running,” Cordellia replied, giving Max an icy glare. “Stop saying that!”

Batrire held up her hand and motioned toward the area well past them.

Each of them stared, straining to see what she had, and then the shape moved as a soft thud occasionally came through the wind.

“Mother of dragons,” Fowl cursed. “That thing is way taller than the others!”

Everyone stood there staring at a blurry, dark shape in the snowstorm, moving slowly across the area, easily towering over the giants they had just faced by at least half.

“We need to move,” Max said as the shape stopped, appearing to turn. “This is a bad spot to get trapped in.”

Fowl shrugged his shoulders once and started moving forward.

“I’ll lead, Seth supports, and you three stay back, so if something happens, you’re out of range.”

Not waiting for a response, Fowl moved into the swirling snow, his feet starting to sink in until the snow reached his knees, requiring him to work harder as he trudged toward the boss.

Glancing at the others, who were waiting, Max began to follow their main warrior, wondering what this fight was going to really be like.

Slowly, the boss’s shape began to become clearer, and the knowledge that visibility was about seventy yards for making something out with detail made things worse.

The boss was almost forty feet tall, holding a massive round wooden shield and carrying a weapon that was easily fifteen feet tall, just like the door had depicted.

Fowl was still moving forward, slowed down by the piles of snow that left a trail as he moved. Cordellia seemed to almost walk on the snow, and Tanila was barely sinking in either. Batrire tried to follow the trail her man had left while Max stayed off to the left some, carrying his flaming club.

The boss’s club glowed with the same blue color, except his was almost like a royal blue, rising a few feet off the banded club it carried. Only the right horn remained, and the left one was gone, giving the boss an air of experience. Its long white beard could have made a blanket for a few dwarfs, and unlike the rest of the giants, this one wore a plate version of armor.

Worked silver-like metal covered its forearms, shoulders, and chest, and a massive belt that protected its hips had a huge buckle of some kind of bone oxen or other skull.

Thick armor protected its legs and knees.

This one isn’t going to have many weak spots. It’s going to–

A roar came, and the boss pointed its hammer at Fowl and them.

“Fools! This is my domain! Come! Join the bones of all those who have fallen before you!”

Its voice caught them all off guard, deep, thick, and filled with rage.

“Holy–”

“Just fight!” Max shouted, cutting off Fowl’s curse as the boss began to move toward them. It didn’t run like the others; instead, each step was careful and placed with precision as it held the shield and weapon at the ready.

Cordellia sent a fire arrow, and then another, yet each one was easily blocked by the boss’s shield. Between its braided beard and mustache, a massive grin appeared.

“Seth?!” Tanila called out questionally.

“Fireball, its face! On three!”

Both of them built a fireball, and the boss slowed down, seeing two of them casting and apparently noticing that one of them wasn’t dressed like a caster.

When Max shouted three, Tanila’s larger fireball raced toward the boss’s face while Max’s flew toward its hand holding the weapon.

The shield blocked the spell aimed at its head while the other struck the hand holding its weapon.

Steam rose from where the blue skin and the flames met, causing the boss to bring its weapon hand near its face. Blowing on the flames still present, a cold blast of air came from its mouth and put them out.

An even larger grin, yet much more evil appeared, and it started to laugh.

“Oh, we are going to have fun playing!” it shouted.

And then it charged.