“The ground shook beneath me,

  as the air in my lungs left me.

  I sought the strength to continue,

  but the rain had melted it away.

  My salvation came in the form of

  a curse.

  The wolves had come to feast,

  but they had chosen the wrong prey.”

  - Erik Kane,

  King of Kenza

  Chapter 25: Peril on Thunder Mountain

  “Are we walking the rest of the way?”

  “Wielding my gift taxes my body. I’ll need to recuperate before using it to that extent again,” Luminous responded.

  “I see.”

  “Not a fan of my light speed travel?” She asked, probably sensing his relief.

  “Not the kindest to the stomach,” Koga replied. Not wanting to be insulting, he added, “Very expedient, though.”

  They had come to the base of the mountains of Valcor. The snowy peaks stood in vivid contrast to where they stood now: amidst an endless sea of green leafed trees. A klick’s distance, and they would be climbing the first mountain on their path. Koga had been warned of their freezing temperatures.

  “I can use my light to keep you warm if you need me to. The average temperature in these mountains is -23 degrees Celsius.”

  “I’ll be fine. Thank you,” Koga replied.

  “Does your armor have a built-in heating system?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s definitely one of a kind,” she noted, keeping the conversation alive.

  “Moorish dwarves are pretty ingenious,” Koga replied.

  “I’ve always wanted to meet the dwarves. I’ve never really understood the difference between the Moorish dwarves and the Doorish dwarves.”

  “That’s because there isn’t one, though they’d beg to differ.”

  For the next few klicks, Luminous began to expound on all she knew about dwarves. It was a can of crgasta worms Koga regretted letting Luminous open, but at least her gentle yet excited voice gave him something to think on. Being left alone to his thoughts was not always good for him, he knew.

  It was not until they had scaled the second mountain on their path that Luminous began to change the subject. The light snow that had been falling down began to get heavier, and the light barrier that Luminous had created around herself was less visible the farther away Koga became.

  “We’re getting closer. We must be on our guard. We’re getting into tri-wolf country.”

  Koga continued on, staying vigilant to observe their path and their surroundings. He had heard terrible things about the creatures before, but he could not remember a good deal of them. Besides, of course, that they were three-headed wolves.

  “Have you ever encountered a Tri-wolf?” Luminous asked.

  “No,” he replied.

  “Neither have I,” responding in kind. “But I’m sure we can handle them.”

  Descending the mountain, Koga could not help but notice that the snowfall was growing much more dense. He seemed to recall tri-wolves used this type of weather to cover their movements. He focused his morgath on sensing things as far away as he could.

  “Can you see?”

  “Not clearly, no,” Luminous responded.

  “Take my hand,” he ordered, extending his arm towards her.

  “Holding hands on the first date? You are a bold one, Koga Kane,” Luminous replied, feigning a serious tone. She smiled at her own joke as Koga grabbed her hand and pressed forward up the mountain, leading the way. She was like the little sister he had never had.

  The further they went, the more perilous the trek became. With Koga’s ability to sense things with his morgath, they were able to make it all the way to the base of their destination. Luminous stepped forward, and cleared the snow off a rock in front of her.

  “This is the mountain!” Luminous yelled, pointing to the familiar “blood rock.” The stone was native to the mountain, according to what she had told him. This indeed must have been the place. Thunder rippled down the mountain. It was a thunder that overwhelmed even the sound of the howling winds.

  “Yeah, this is definitely the mountain,” she affirmed.

  As they began to climb, Koga could feel how unsure the footing was becoming as they stepped on the blood rocks. Stranger still was the fact that rain was falling on them, but it was mixed with the snow and the sleet. Looking down at his sizzling armor, he realized it was far worse than rain.

  “Acid!” Luminous yelled. “The books said nothing about acid!”

  Thinking of his promise to Mitamin, Koga turned to Luminous.

  “We should turn back.”

  “No! I can do this, and so can you! We’ve come too far to turn back now!” she replied, her eyes full of resolve, her heart steady and calm. She seemed to take this development well by what he could sense.

  Despite his more paternal instincts insisting they turn back, he decided to go on for a little farther. With Luminous’ light protecting her, she could feel no adverse effects from any of the elements, and his armor’s shielding would protect him from the acid melting away his armor. Besides, she had a point. They had already come quite a ways.

  The way became more steep as they continued. Koga had never seen such strange weather conditions before, and he could not understand why the energy fields surrounding them seemed so chaotic. The higher they climbed, the more inclement these things became. This truly was a place where nature and known reality collided, coming together to form a cacophony of chaos.

  “We’ve been lucky,” Luminous yelled. “No lightning or triwolves yet!”

  Ironically, a bolt of lighting crashed down into the mountain 7 meters away from where they stood, violently hurling blood rock and boulders all around them. Creating a light barrier, Luminous protected them from it, although the loud noise was quite damaging to the ears.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Never mind! Me and my big mouth...” she added.

  As they drew closer to the top, Koga sensed even more danger approaching. Grabbing Luminous, he moved with rapid speed towards their right, narrowly dodging a boulder descending the mountain. Then more began to come. Koga was forced to move them both quickly time and time again, as the preponderance of falling boulders increased.

  “We need to leave,” Koga communicated, putting her down as he moved his hands to speak.

  “I can take care of myself, Koga. Whatever is on top of this mountain is the key to unlocking your power. We can’t afford to turn back,” she insisted.

  “No. There must be another way. I’m taking you back.”

  “I’m not going, Koga! Neither can you! We mustn’t give up!”

  “I promised Mitamin I’d keep you safe. I’m going to keep that promise. Come,” he replied, reaching out to grab her hand. She moved away rapidly with her light speed.

  “No, we must go on! I’m not going with you, you’re coming with me!”

  Koga moved as quickly as he could to grab her, but she had recuperated from earlier, and now had regained her speed. She darted away from him faster than he could sense.

  “Grab my hand, and we’ll light travel to the top!” she said, now standing a few meters behind him.

  “I’ve seen how that works, Luminous. You need stable footing. It won’t work,” Koga countered, recalling his previous observations.

  Luminous sighed, exasperated.

  “Take my hand, Koga! Trust me!”

  He knew that to bring her down the mountain, he would need to grab hold of her. It was clear she was not going to change her mind. With her powers, however, it would be hard to do so against her will. That is why he would need to incapacitate her. Doing so would require a bluff on his part. One that would surely damage their friendship, but it was a sacrifice Koga would take if it was going to save her life. He reached out to grab her hand, feigning agreement in her desire to stay.

  In the split second before he did, Luminous caught him off guard, grabbing him before he could grab her, and zooming him up towards the top of the mountain. In this state, Koga could do little to break free. She was moving too quickly, and having him move at the same pace. As light surrounded them both, it amplified her every movement by thousands, and made Koga’s movements the same. He could have tried to stop moving, but her light was forcing him to move this time. It was like he was entrapped into a suit of armor that made him move. She could only do this for a short amount of time, but it was all that was needed to get them both to the top.

  A few seconds into their ascension, another bolt of lightning came crashing down upon them. It too was fast, and was a devastating blow to the both of them as it threw off Luminous’ footing. Off balancing her, it sent them both crashing backwards, having Koga land atop the now unconscious Luminous. Her light barrier of protection was now gone, and the only thing standing between her and the acidic rain was Koga’s body. Still conscious, he adjusted himself to better protect her from the elements.

  She had suffered a head wound to the back of her skull. Although bloody, the wound had not penetrated the skull. However, it was harmful enough to leave her unconscious.

  Koga used his suit to scan her vitals. It appeared as though she was merely unconscious, and that no irreparable damage had been made. Using his morgath, he sensed no internal damage.

  Taking a device from the back of his armor, he threw a small, metal orb next to him. Within a second, it activated an energy field in the shape of a half circle around the two of them, protecting them from the rain and the snow. The light red, luminescent shield could protect them from minor elements, but not from such things as laser fire or life forms passing through the shield. It could only act as a temporary reprieve from the rain.

  “Now, how to get you down the mountain safely,” Koga thought.

  Koga had little time to figure out how to accomplish the task. His luck had not improved, as the triwolves began to draw near. Koga could sense their ravenous intent. They were no small pack as he imagined he would encounter. They numbered in the hundreds.

  The beasts stood anywhere between one and one and a half meters high. They had three heads and eight legs, with two legs to each corner of their form. They had white, acid resistant skin, and crimson, glowing eyes, much like the eye slits on Koga’s helmet. Their fangs were much longer than normal wolves. Koga could feel their hunger for flesh permeate the very air around him. They knew he and Luminous were here, and they were ready for the hunt.

  Koga readied his blades in preparation to combat them. Since they could breach the shield barrier, he would need to keep them out of it until he could find a way to move Luminous without harming her. It would not be easy.

  “Power low. Converter damaged. Please charge,” the orb informed him.

  The energy shield was about to die. It had probably suffered damage somehow, given he had landed on it only moments ago. With that, Luminous’ chance of survival had slimmed considerably.

  He had no time to decide how he should go about defending her. The triwolves were less than a minute from reaching his location, and with the energy shield going down, there was no way to protect Luminous from the acid. Sensing her awareness, he could see there was no way she was waking up soon. She had potentially suffered a concussion, and giving her an adrenal shot with her body and brain in such a state of shock would most definitely kill her.

  There was only one thing he could do.

  As quickly as he could, Koga removed his armor, and placed it on her. It was only a matter of seconds before the orb’s power unit would fail. With the last portion of his armor placed onto her, he activated its shield to protect her. Almost simultaneously, the orb’s shield failed him, and the triwolves reached his position.

  The acid caused horrendous pain on his exposed areas; specifically, his hands and head. The areas covered by his body suit began to slowly melt as they were exposed to the acid. The only thing acting as a barrier between himself and the venomous downpour was the snowfall and the mounds of snow below him, getting melted away as well. Closing his eyes, he drowned out the pain, and used his inner morgath to revive what was being torn away by the acid. The process was very draining, and took all the might he had. It was difficult just to move, let alone raise a blade.

  Triwolves now encircled him and Luminous. They snarled and snapped as they encircled their newfound prey. The smaller ones were the first to venture closer, eager to prove their worth and test their skill. The larger ones stayed farther back, content to observe how the younger fared against their strange, two legged prey.

  Now, he would need to execute the next portion of his plan. Koga would only have one shot at this. If he failed, he would undoubtedly fail himself, and his unconscious friend. Failure was not an option. He slowly lifted his blade, and waited for the wolves’ attack.

  Their attack came as he expected: from behind him, and by one of the smaller wolves. A little under a meter tall, the triwolf leaped in anticipation to grab the exposed neck of its prey. Each of its jaws were open to taste blood and flesh. In a flash, it tasted both, only it was not Koga’s. It was its own.

  Diverting his inner morgath’s efforts to his normal functions in under a second’s time, Koga used his activated blade to split the wolf asunder. From its open mouths to its rear, he separated its lower half from its upper, cutting its legs and jaws straight off. Still using his speed, he draped the bloody upper half of the animal over his body, thereby protecting him from the rain, albeit temporarily.

  The stench of the triwolf’s insides filled Koga’s nostrils, being so repulsive that he instinctively gagged at the smell. Having a heightened sense of smell was definitely an inconvenience at the moment, but at this juncture, it was an insignificant concern. He needed to find shelter, and provide the same for Luminous. His freshly dawned coat wouldn’t act as a permanent solution to the rain, especially if one of the triwolves ripped it off. Mere seconds spaced the gap between his momentary peace and the next attack.

  In a sprint, Koga grabbed Luminous, flinging her over his shoulder as speedily and gently as he could. Using the triwolves’ momentary shock to his advantage, he then lunged towards what he sensed was the weakest point in the triwolves’ circle. With precise blows, he killed six of the creatures, running with all his strength through the hoard.

  With acid still burning him at certain points, along with the snow and the winds, his every step painful. Koga knew he could not last long at this pace. The triwolves were right behind him, and sensed his weakness, like a Bepu smelling blood in the water. As his inner morgath began to drain, so also did his speed. Once meters ahead of his pursuers, he was now only centimeters away from death. Summoning what strength he had left, he punched one of the triwolf’s snouts as it closed in to bite him. It yelped in pain as it fell back behind the others.

  Koga sensed no type of enclosure ahead of him. Nothing to protect him and his companion from the elements long enough for him to fight. Focusing his abilities, he desperately searched for something ahead of him that might be of aid. Still, nothing could be found.

  Having focused his efforts elsewhere cost him precious speed and awareness. A triwolf managed to lunge forward and grab ahold of his biosuit, ripping off a chunk of it and his hip as well. He silently screamed in pain as its jaws ripped away at his flesh.

  Focusing on escape, he used his reserves of energy to hasten him forward, with Luminous still unconscious on his shoulder. He was desperate now. Desperate for any place to go for shelter. Still, he sensed nothing.

  The triwolves were closing the gap between them for the final time. Koga did not have the energy to run away from them while carrying Luminous. Not anymore. His wound was bleeding profusely, and the pant legs of his body suit had nearly been breached by the acid. Sensing nothing around him that could grant him aid, he wondered if this would be it. There was no structure, large boulder, or cave anywhere near him. Not ahead, behind, to his right, to his left, certainly not above, and not…

  He felt it. A cavern directly below him. Stalactites covered its roof, but apart from that, it was not very thick. Regardless, it was all he had.

  Lifting Luminous’s arm, Koga manually activated a small rocket that was hidden under a section of the armor. Fewer than five seconds remained before the rocket would launch, so he aimed quickly at where he planned on breaching the cavern.

  The rocket launched itself away towards its target, disappearing to the naked eye in the tundra. Only the light of its propulsion system remained; until, however, it made impact with the ground. Then it exploded with a fiery billow, rocking the area around it.

  “Blast! Still not breached!” Koga cursed, having realized the impact of the blast fell short of success.

  He readied another rocket, trying to keep a steady aim as he ran. He could sense another triwolf gaining on him, but he could not rush his aim. Finally on target, he reached over to the manual trigger to fire. Just then, the triwolf snagged the hardened material that made up the feet of his body suit. Sending him off balance, he accidentally pulled the trigger, and the rocket flew off into the sky, far from its intended target.

  Only one rocket remained now. Quickly, he readied the launching mechanism once again, having already put out of his mind his failed attempt. There was no time for hesitation. The consequences were too steep for that. Quickly, he aimed and fired again. This time, his strike was a success.

  The ground below them quaked as the rocket exploded onto the mountainside. Koga sensed the earth below him begin to collapse as they were nearly upon their intended target. Another triwolf leaped out to lay hold of Luminous. It would have been successful, save Koga and Luminous’ sudden fall into the dark abyss that was the cavern. A few eager triwolves, too invested in the chase to stop their forward momentum, followed them down into the cavern.

  The risk the rain, lightning, and the triwolves posed was now replaced by the thirty story drop that awaited them. Because the energy fields surrounding him were so out of balance, Koga had been unable to discern the full depth of the cave. Now aware of what awaited them, Koga knew that the stalagmites and rocky floor below them would be their swift and graceless end. That was, if he could not provide another rescue.

  With Luminous unable to help, they only had one chance of survival. Koga would need to summon his chi enough to cushion their landing before their blood curdling splat to the ground. The problem was, using his morgath had exhausted him. He had less than nothing left. He could barely concentrate enough to sense the area around him to see, let alone levitate himself and his friend.

  “But I’ve got to try,” he thought.

  Quieting his mind, he focused on the source of his power growing within him, like a faint white light. His aching body and distressed mind screamed out to him in pain, but he sought to push it away. Still, it came. He tried to remember what Ozzeray had taught him about concentration, but in this state, it was no use. In seconds, they would be dead.

  In a last ditch effort, Koga reached for a knife he had concealed on his armor. Struggling with Luminous’ limp body mid air, he wrestled to attain it, but with no success. The blade was lodged in well, and at this angle, hard to withdraw. Close to four seconds remained between their collision with the cavern’s floor. In a panic, he strained his shoulder to withdraw the knife, and with success, stabbed the knife right into the mechanized portion of the boot on his armor. He closed his eyes, preparing himself for the end.