Coldsnap: Harbinger of Ice

Chapter 41: Trial by Fire

Firebird, Keena, and the combined forces of the Fire Sect invaded the Inferno Fortress and fought their way to the basement sanctum, taking out any mages or elementals allied with the Seared Hand along the way. Since almost everyone involved had mastery over fire magic besides Keena, the fights were more a test of combat skills than coincidental element advantages.

"You know....." Firebird called to Keena, while trying to dodge the blasts of a fire elemental. "This would be going a heck of a lot faster if you would just use your powers!"

"Using the water colossus form takes a lot out of me!" Keena responded as she slid under the axe of one of the Seared Hand mages and knocked them onto their back with a leg sweep. "I need time to recover!"

After a few minutes of intense combat, the main room had been cleared out. Once everyone had regrouped, they gathered in the center and Firebird pulled the lever behind Flamestar's throne to summon the elevator; the same one that the Fire Sect leader had used many times before in order to get to the Seared Hand's chambers. When everyone reached the bottom, they were first met with the sight of the meeting room; a huge place with eerie, low lighting, several empty stone pews arranged in neat rows, and calm—yet active—pools of bubbling magma here and there. Additionally, there was a small stage at the front of the room containing Flamestar's second throne, with a new one—presumably built for Alpin—constructed alongside it.

"So it's true, then...." Firebird lamented. "Alpin is now partnered with Flamestar and the Seared Hand....."

"I'm against this place," Keena voiced. "It's way too hot down here.....even for me....."

"If you think this is hot, imagine how Coldsnap must feel. But there's no point hanging around here now; we've got to get to her holding area."

The rescue party passed the chamber and continued heading down the passageway, deeper underground. They encountered absolutely no resistance as they made their way through the narrow, winding halls of the fortress's hidden cellar, much to their suspicion. Whereas the above-ground floors of the Inferno Fortress gave off a more regal and opulent appearance, with shining red, orange, gold, yellow, and occasional dark-blue hues, the basement was a lot more unsettling, with numerous brimstone formations, active magma spouts, and infrequent banners displaying the Seared Hand's logo; a clenched, raised fist against a flame decal, with black and orange coloration.

Before long, everyone arrived at a massive room consisting of two "floors", with a pair of staircases on either side to get between them. The door to Coldsnap's prison was on the first floor at the other end, but they were met with one last challenge; the Seared Hand forces had set up their final line of defense, and they were not about to let the rescue party reach Flamestar, Alpin, Ignicion, and Coldsnap without the fight of a lifetime. The enemy mages were spread out across the first floor, with flame imps on the stairwell banisters and fire elementals with ranged attacks on the second floor backing them up. Additionally, two creatures of the same species as Ignicion hovered overhead, ready to rain a barrage of energy attacks at the invaders at a moment's notice.

One of the Seared Hand mages, who appeared to be the leader of the troop, stepped forward and laughed. "Well, well, well......it's been a while, Firebird," he said. "I don't suppose any of you remember me.....do you?"

Firebird leaned forward and examined him closely, trying her best to recall if she had ever seen him before.

But she had.

The crude, rotting, almost zombie-like appearance of his flesh and the partially-attached prosthetics did nothing to help in her analysis, but she came to the right conclusion nonetheless.