Curselock

Chapter 84: Ice Castle

The Ice Castle’s gates towered over the boys and Gelo but didn’t so much as reach half the height of most of the ice pillars. In a way, all of the snow fields were a moat to the castle. An infinite, worm infested, white void instead of a simple circular trench of water. The perspective shift, while not important, gave the boys a new understanding of how dungeons worked.

Even back in the savanna dungeon, the final boss was surrounded by hazards and plenty of monsters. While only having a single monster so far, the snowy dungeon kept many of the same principals. Like an onion, the closer to the core, the harder the layers would be.

As they stood before the Ice Castle’s gates, it was obvious to the boys that they were significantly underprepared in strength to defeat what came next. It was only Gelo’s knowledge and reassurance that her mother would help Jude that kept them going.

Killing the worm boss was, honestly, a fluke. Without the pillars they would not have been able to defeat such a beast. Jude’s almost death proved as much. Still, the boys had come to a silent agreement about the dangers. It was worth it in their eyes, as much as they knew continuing through the dungeon to be stupid.

The castle was oddly bland, an illusion created by the singular color being reflected and refracted through the icy construction. Chiseled windows, bricks, even the odd toilet hole, blended into their surroundings. Only structures that cut out against the blue sky or lay beside the snowy floor were easily noticeable.

The most important of these were the battlements. The boys, even from standing on the ground, could see dozens of places enemies, monsters, and/or traps could be set. Gelo assured them that no monsters lived in the castle’s first layer.

“That’s where all of the docile animals were housed. Before Mother moved them, that is,” the bear cub explained.

“Animals?” Leland asked.

“Sure, like chickens, cows, horses, goats.”

Gelo had already explained to Leland and Jude a few types of monsters to come. She did not, however, mention that livestock was once kept in the dungeon.

Again Leland found himself wondering about the logistics of a dungeon and the way in which the core could maintain a miniature world. Who took care of the livestock? Who tended to the castle gates if only unintelligent monsters were housed inside? What was the point of details like toilet holes if they were never used?

“We are here to challenge the king!” Gelo announced to the frozen gate.

Ice chains began to mechanically lower by an unseen force. They lowered the gate down like a flat bridge with a flurry of kicked up snow. The boys braced against the sudden assault, Gelo the only one who truly seemed in their element. The gate finally went slack, resting perfectly open and allowing all to see inside.

More snow and ice met their gazes and the boys looked at each other in confusion.

“Is that it?” Jude whispered. “A lot of show for this…”

The courtyard before them opened into a large crescent shaped pathway. Snow, of course, covered the area but remnants of the original architecture were present. Small fences made out of wood, surprisingly, were sitting around collecting a thick layer of white powder. Shacks and sheds, made of wood and ice, were rotted to their foundations.

“A stiff breeze could blow those over,” Jude continued, still in a whisper.

Glenny nudged him and nodded toward the second layer of battlements. Jude then cursed, quickly followed by Leland.

Past the courtyard, snow, and falling buildings, was the secondary walls – the castle’s true infrastructure. A gate, much smaller than the one the boys currently gawked from, sat open and waiting. Above it were open windows and fortified cutouts lined up and down the front wall, ending with two circular spires that rose a story or two higher.

While housing more places for ambush and defense, the castle also heldenemies. They waited at the windows or stared down through the battlements, each jumpy at the chance to attack the newcomers. Yet they didn’t. They waited, they watched. They sat, bound by whatever rules governed the dungeon’s beings.

Gelo took a step in and the boys all sucked in a harsh breath. The cub stepped onto the draw-bridge gate without a care in the world. She trotted in and onto the snowy courtyard before she realized she was alone. She turned back, looking at the boys.

“What are you waiting for?” she asked before seeing their hesitance. She turned back, eyeing the monsters that laid in wait. “They won’t attack you! I promise!”

Jude was the first one of the humans to walk into Ice Castle. He moved slowly, never taking his attention off the monsters. He held his axe in one hand, his pack slung around his other shoulder. He was almost in battle stance when he stepped into the courtyard, it would only take him dropping his bag to truly be prepared.

The monsters still waited.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect this to work,” Leland said quietly to Glenny. “I know Gelo told us she had a way to walk directly to the boss, but I didn’t believe her. This was not what I was expecting.”

“I thought we were going to a secret entrance,” Glenny confirmed with a slow head shake.

He and Leland stepped up, meeting Jude just inside. As they crossed the boundary, the gate suddenly shook, sending another flurry of snow up around it. The icy chains went taut and retracted, and soon the Ice Castle was locked.

Still, the monsters didn’t move. Some growled, their echoing hatred evident through the empty courtyard.

The boys watched the gate fully seal. It crunched into place, cracking a layer of freshly formed ice. The pressure must have echoed through the wall, because a small rotted shed, likely a guard building, suddenly collapsed.

For a moment the boys could see into the abandoned room, but nothing of interest was inside. In fact, nothing at all was inside, not even furniture.

Gelo frowned at the wreckage, however, at least until a blue and yellow energy rushed through the ground. The power quickly touched upon the broken building, levitating and reconstructing the fallen wall. Within seconds the blue and yellow disappeared, leaving the guard building shining like the day it was constructed.

“Took longer than it should have,” Gelo said with a muted shake of the head. “Mother hates recalibrating the core while she could be napping.”

“Your mother did that?” Glenny asked.

“The core did. Mother only set it to rebuild after a few seconds. She likes everything neat and tidy.”

Despite being watched by dozens of deadly monsters, each of the boys found a moment to glance at the bear cub. The frankness was what got them, even Jude who often shrugged away odd information like he would a dull blade.

“Anyway,” Gelo continued. “The king doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Follow me!”

She strutted away with a bit of pip in her set, right to the main castle’s front door. She waited for the boys to slowly, and hesitantly, walk over. They were busy noting each of the monsters.

“Winter Hag,” Leland whispered, identifying a deadly magic throwing monster.

“Frost Troll,” Jude added.

“I think that’s a yeti,” Glenny said as well.

They spewed off another six or seven types of monster before reaching an angle under the windows at which they couldn’t see any more. Each monster itself was no big deal, some more difficult than others, yes, but none the boys thought they couldn’t handle. The issue was the sheer number of them and the varieties of attack they brought to the table.

Heavy hitters to sly and nimble and a range of magical support from the range of monsters. As Gelo had explained, the castle was always inhabited by a plethora of monsters. The species were different every time, the dungeon core simply keeping the number of monsters, not the specific type. They would respawn, much like the worm boss, after a few months. But with Gelo’s plan, they wouldn’t have to fight any of the fodder.

Not when challenging the king directly.

Slipping into the castle, the boys quickly joined Gelo. The interior of the building was different. Like walking through the dungeon entrance itself, the world seemed to change with entering the castle. No longer were they looking at walls of blue-white reflectant ice, but instead a warm hallway that led into a great common area.

The castle’s inner walls were wood, along with the furniture that sat without dust or clutter. Following the hallway and polished gray flooring, the boys were met with a grand staircase, one that curved around the edge of the room before twisting into a walkway. Doors, some opened, others closed, were set an equal distance from each other with a symmetric twin keenly crafted opposite one another.

Paintings of monsters were set and leveled around the common room, along with benches and shelves holding trophies. Weapons, suits of armor, even a skeletal replica of a great beast waited for the boys to inspect. They didn’t, not with the noise coming from above.

A shuffling could be heard from the second and third story, and eventually all of the waiting monsters were glaring at the intruders from balconies or landings. They didn’t attack, and now it seemed their growls were hushed up like it was ill mannered.

The silence only added to the growing discomfort the boys felt.

The monsters did however give Gelo leeway. None glared at her, none barred their teeth. They held a certain amount of respect for the young cub, respect that resulted from fear rather than friendship or understanding. When Leland noticed this, his mind quickly spun more theories about dungeons and how they worked.

Honestly he allowed himself the distraction. It was a… helpful protection against the anxiety the monsters produced. But before he could get anywhere with educated ideas, the grand double door in the direct center of the building crashed open.

A monster, four legged, covered in fur, and with a branching set of antlers, stepped forward. The creature bounced with each step but the crown upon its head never jostled.

“Gelo!” the king demanded. “You dare challenge me!?”

“Hey uncle Everald!” the cub shot back. “How’s mom?”