Chapter 107: From Fried to Frozen – The Bipolar Tundra
The transition from the 'Scorched Barrens' to the 'Frozen Tundra of Boreas' was so sudden it felt like the world had a broken thermostat. One minute they were breathing fire and sweating like marathon runners in a sauna, and the next, their breath was turning into ice cubes before it even left their mouths.
"I... I... h-h-hate this... s-s-so much," Aki chattered, his teeth clicking together with the speed of a sewing machine. He was currently wrapped in five different blankets he'd 'borrowed' from the last merchant caravan, looking more like a very expensive burrito than a legendary thief. "Von... if my toes f-f-fall off... I'm s-s-suing you for m-m-malpractice!"
Von (Volt) walked through the knee-deep snow with the same calm indifference he'd shown in the desert. His new 'Herald of the Dark Sun' armor was radiating a soft, violet-gold warmth that prevented the snow from even touching his boots. He looked like a hot coal moving through a bowl of powdered sugar.
"The toes are optional, Aki," Von replied without looking back. "But your ears are still attached, so stop complaining. We're close to the 'Crystal Glazier,' where the fifth fragment is hidden."
Rena was shivering, her hands tucked deep into her robes. "Von, the mana here isn't just cold... it's sharp. It's like the air is made of tiny, invisible needles. This isn't natural weather. This is a 'Frost-Lock' spell on a continental scale."
Sai, whose heavy steel armor had basically become a mobile refrigerator, was moving slowly. "My joints... are freezing... shut. If a monster attacks... I'm basically... a very large, very heavy... ice sculpture."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Entering 'The Glacial Abyss'. Environmental Hazard: 'Absolute Zero'. Effect: -20% Movement Speed. -10% Agility. Note: Aki's nose has turned a concerning shade of blue.]
"Concerning shade of blue?! Von, the system is mocking my nose!" Aki shrieked, his voice cracking. "Bonesy! Come here! Hug me! You don't have body heat, but at least your ribs block the wind!"
The skeleton, still wearing the scorched silk scarf, obediently walked over and let Aki huddle against its cold, calcium-rich chest. It was a touching moment of inter-species friendship, or more accurately, a desperate thief using an undead soldier as a windbreaker.
The Ice-Cave and the 'Frost-Golems'
After hours of trudging through a blizzard that could blind a dragon, they reached the entrance of the 'Crystal Glazier'—a cave system made of pure, translucent ice that reflected the violet light of Von's armor like a disco ball from hell.
As they stepped inside, the wind died down, but the silence was even more terrifying. Suddenly, the walls of the cave began to crack. Six massive 'Frost-Golems,' carved from ice that was as hard as diamond, stepped out of the shadows.
"Oh, great. More statues," Aki groaned, peeking out from behind Bonesy. "Can't we just find a dungeon where the enemies are made of something soft? Like marshmallows? Or very gentle kittens?"
[BOSS ENCOUNTER: The Glacial Sentinels (x6). Level: 65. Skill: 'Shatter-Pulse'. Warning: They are immune to physical damage. Suggestion: Use fire or a very large hammer.]
"Immune to physical damage?!" Sai yelled, looking at his useless mace. "That's cheating! That's literally the only thing I do!"
"Rena, use the Fourth Fragment's residue," Von commanded. "Aki, stop hugging the skeleton and find the core in their chests. It's the only part that isn't immune."
Rena closed her eyes, channeling the 'Dark Sun' energy she had absorbed from the previous fragment. Her flames, normally orange, turned a violent shade of violet-black. "Abyssal Inferno!"
The heat was so intense it didn't just melt the ice; it evaporated it into steam. The Golems roared, their bodies cracking under the thermal shock.
Aki, seeing an opportunity to regain his dignity (and heat), leaped into action. He performed a mid-air triple flip, landing on the head of the nearest Golem. "Sorry, frosty! But I need your heart to warm my hands!"
With a swift movement, he jammed a heated dagger into the Golem's chest, pulling out a glowing blue core. The Golem instantly shattered into a million pieces.
"One down! Five to go!" Aki shouted, sliding across the ice floor like a professional skater. "I'm like a hot knife through butter! A very cold, very grumpy knife!"
The Fifth Fragment and the Unexpected Guest
Von walked past the chaos, his eyes fixed on the pedestal at the end of the cave. Resting there was the fifth fragment—a shard of the Crown that looked like a frozen tear, pulsing with a pale, ghostly light.
But as he reached for it, the temperature didn't just drop—it vanished. The air became so cold that the steam from Rena's fire turned into falling diamonds.
A figure stepped out from behind the pedestal. It was a woman with skin as white as snow, wearing a gown made of frost and a crown of icicles. But it wasn't a Judge.
"Volt," she whispered, her voice like the sound of a breaking glacier. "I've waited a thousand years for you to come for this. Do you still remember our wedding day? Or did the Void take that memory too?"
Aki, who was about to stab the last Golem, froze in his tracks. "Wedding day?! Von! You're married?! To a glacier?! Why did you never mention this in the 'dark and brooding' monologues?!"
Rena's eyes went wide. "That's... that's the 'Frozen Queen of the North.' The legends say she was the only mortal the Demon King ever loved."
Von stopped, his hand inches from the fragment. For the first time, his obsidian eyes showed a flicker of pain. "Elara... you were supposed to be at peace."
"Peace is for those who are forgotten, Volt," the Queen replied, raising a hand. "The Judges didn't kill me. They turned me into the guardian of your own heart. If you want the fifth fragment, you have to kill the only thing you ever truly cared about."
[SYSTEM CRITICAL NOTIFICATION: Personal Quest 'The Queen's Mercy' Triggered. Objective: Claim the 5th Fragment. Cost: ???. Warning: Emotional damage detected. Suggestion: This is going to be a long chapter.]
Aki looked at the Queen, then at Von, then at his own blue nose. "Well... this just got incredibly awkward. Can we go back to the giant worms? I understood the worms."
Von didn't answer. He drew the Void Reaper, but the blade was trembling. The King of Shadows was finally facing an enemy he couldn't just cut down.