Ice Portal

              The skies over the small town of Strothrem had been growing darker and more menacing by the day as of late. Made up of a few dozen wooden homes wrapped around a three story stone mansion that acted as a command center for the queen’s men, it was easily overlooked on a map or passerby. The towns’ folk had been exporting furs and lumber for decades now, the iron mines having dried up and nearly ran them out of town to seek profit in other regions of the land.

              The bittersweet arrival of captain Jerekk and a dozen of his rangers had brought some prosper to them, food and clothing, and the ability to more easily ship their wears to other cities through horse and carriage. They were all aware that this was no coincidence, the queen did not send a squad of her finest men to one of the farthest northern corners of the kingdom if there was not something more ominous going on.

              The runic construct in the old mines was more a myth than anything by now, the mines themselves barred and locked by dwarven engineers shortly after the iron had run out and the poking and prodding of the earth had led them to the chamber. The chamber was massive, nearly as large as the town above it with ceilings fifty or more feet tall they reconned. Sleek black stones covered the floors and hundreds of pillars ran to the ceiling in the otherwise bare room. Bare but for a tall round construct on the opposite side of the entrance, suspended in the air by nothing that was visible, its frame like two spiny snakes wrapped around each other.

              The portal was large enough to fit a home through and gazing upon it for too long would give a man a headache that lasted days, driving some insane to where they never recovered. The men who found it were all dead now, thus the myth of the chamber and its contents had become just that, a myth. Most had forgotten about it since then, it was not a great war story of heroics and valiant deeds, just a room in the earth with a rock that hurt to look at.

              Jerekk and his squad sat in the mansion now, on the third floor gazing out over the city and then over to the long boarded up entrance to the mine. It was a long room with windows covering one side, the finest woods and steel covering the floors and walls. A long skinny table fitting of the room ran down its center with twenty chairs along its flanks, this is where his men leaned or sat as they waited upon his decision.

              Several bright lamps ran across the back wall away from the windows, letting of a light that looked eerie and strange to the villagers that looked up to it from the outside. Most of the rangers cleaned weapons that had been exposed to the violent snowstorms that had hit them on their journey north, while several others had quiet conversations amongst themselves, playing cards or whispering about what they might find.

“I've got a Geldar that says its an old rock and we are wasting our time” Wren whispered to the man next to him at the table.

“Deal” Markus stated, not bothering to look at Wren, continuing to clean a long dagger.

“Must you two place bets on everything?” Ramona, the only female amongst them, questioned.

              The two men looked up at her with a smirk, causing her to roll her eyes at them. The two were of average size, muscular well built men that had seen a great deal of violence in their years, while she was a slender, small women that had only recently been picked to join their ranks. Wren and Markus had been placing bets for many years on nearly everything they did, many of the squad members had rituals and practices amongst them, not Ramona though, not yet at least.

“Yes” the two men responded together before looking back down.

“Why? This seems fairly serious.” She questioned.

“These two have been doing that nearly as long as you have been alive”. A deep gravely filled voice boomed from behind her, causing her to jump and the others to laugh loudly.

              Jerekk was a massive man, a head taller than anyone else in the squad with shoulders wider than a dwarfs. His ability to function within them at his size demanded the respect of anyone who knew him, he had the power of a knight with the stealth of an assassin. Two short fat blades hung at his sides while a round shield was strapped across his back, as was typical of most of them along with their long bows.

              He found it a bit strange that rangers had been sent on such a task, when knights or even a battalion of soldiers would have been equally as effective. The thought meant little though, it was the queens order and he was to obey, he figured they moved faster through such harsh territories anyway and drew little to no attention.

“Have you decided upon our approach, old man?” Wren asked with a chuckle.

“Yes, I have” He answered with a smirk, continuing “We will enter at sun rise”.

              The mood in the room changed as everyone paused what they were doing to look to their captain, some with looks of anticipation while others looked unsure or even worried.

“The townsfolk say it’s an old myth, not a whisper from the mines in decades, we are just going down to make sure” the captain reassured everyone.

“What of the locks” Markus questioned.

“I have a key” Jerekk responded, producing a small wooden box from a leather pouch on his hip, “Elanor herself entrusted me with it”.

“Why go through all the trouble of locking away a myth?” Wren asked with a quizzical look.

“Many things were locked away after the last great war, Wren, and many things since out of myth or superstition. Now everyone get some rest” He answered in a low tone.

              One would have guessed it was still night as the sun struggled through the thick, dark clouds the next morning. The group lit torches and lamps and began making their way out of the mansion in a slow silent march down the stairs and through several more of the beautifully constructed rooms that lay dormant.

              They strode upon the icy main road that ran through town up the great hill where it terminated at the mouth of the mine entrance. Several villagers shot them strange looks as they milled about the town while the others ignored them completely while they loaded traps and tools onto wagons to be brought into the thick forests around the small town.

              Ramona wrapped her cloak around her body tightly as a harsh wind gusted down from the hills and froze the insides of her nostrils. The other men were all doing the same, all of them except Jerekk who walked with his chest out, a bold stride carrying him along like a knight walking to battle. He was a powerful leader, and at that the girl felt a little warmer and the horrors of what could be were a little less scary.

“I have never been in a mine before” Ramona said to nobody in particular.

“They aren’t so bad” a gruff, weathered man named Hector said.

“What will it be like” She asked quietly.

“Dark rocky tunnels, if a boy can work in them, warriors such as ourselves will have no problem” He reassured, “But I don’t think that’s what you are asking, is it girl”

              Ramona turned her head down slightly, embarrassed that she had shown weakness in her new companions. They had spent several months together thus far but she was the youngest, newest member, she felt out of place at times. The mine entrance was in site now at the top of the hill they all began to struggle up, slipping and sliding as they grasped each other or pulled one another up grunting and cursing as they did.

              Her feet shot out from underneath her and she slammed down onto her back, the air being forced from her lungs and she let out a grunt of pain. Hector was there in a moment, grasping onto her shoulders and hauling her up right, placing himself behind her as they struggled up the last few yards to the flat basin in front of the mighty iron doors that made their home in the rock of the mountain side that went as far as a man could see in either direction.

“There we are little one” Hector stated happily as they found footing on the flat ground, “Aye, I’m sure there’s nothing in there… but if there is you just stay right beside me”.

“Have you fought in caves?” She questioned.

“I have, that’s how I met our fearless leader. Many years ago, out in the Herkum region, the gold mines.” He answered as he looked over to Jerekk, “Goblins, hundreds of goblins had poured down through the cracks and holes of the earth to fill the mine, we were just boys then. Jerekk and I beat a dozen of them down with hammer and shovel before the knights arrived, they had been tracking them for several weeks you see. A dozen times since then I’ve found myself in the cold dark of the earth and I’ve found a myth is a myth most of the time”.

“Oh... and what about when it’s not a myth?” she asked, wanting to know more of Jerekk but figuring now was not the ideal time.

“Horrors, little one, horrors beyond imagination.” He answered with a smirk before unclasping a large hammer off his back.

              The captain approached the massive door, finding a large locking mechanism in its center that had been iced over for many years. Without command Hector approached from beside him and began smashing the ice off the lock with a brutal amount of force, causing chunks of ice to explode away and pelt the members of the group that stood at the front. It only took moments for the lock to be uncovered as several men began clearing snow away from the base of the door.

“Don’t concern yourself with the snow boys” Jerekk stated, inserting the key and stepping away as he twisted it.

              There was a loud clunk followed by several moments of silence before the door began to move out, the snow and ice in front of it being shoved away as if it had not even been there. The mighty doors must have had some mechanism or magic about them that caused them to open on their own.

              A gust of musty, warm air rushed out of the opening in the mountain, and for a moment Ramona thought she could here a howl upon it, quickly dismissing it as a trick of her senses. The group paused for a moment before they all began to trudge forward into the dark of the mine, torches and lamps throwing off just enough light to navigate down its entrance and into the steep cave system that would lead them down into the mountain and eventually the chamber they sought.

              Nobody spoke as they walked, only the faint sound of their footsteps and the occasional scrape of cloth on rock accompanying them. The air was cold but not nearly as cold as the mountain air they had spent the morning in, again they all dismissed as it must have felt warmer being out of the elements and away from the wet snow.

              Ramona could see another member through the faint light whispering to their captain as they walked side by side through the caves. She could not make out what was being said but extracted through their stiff bodies and whispers that it must have been something of concern. Once again, she dismissed it, she was already too far out of her element to fill her mind with more worries and distractions.

“We’re nearly there” Wren stated softly as he folded up a piece of parchment and deposited it into a breast pocket.

“Very good” Jerekk answered.

              A moment later they rounded a long corridor to find themselves standing in front of a large hole in the cave, unlike a hole dug into the earth, it looked as if a trebuchet had pounded a hole into the side of a building. It looked unnatural and sent a shiver up the young woman’s spine as they slowed their pace and grouped up around the entrance to the chamber.

“Wren, Ramona, Hector, and Vincent will be on me, the rest of you form to flanks and follow the walls to the end of the chamber” Jerekk stated before stepping into the chamber.

              They followed their orders closely behind the large man, the other eight men splitting off into two groups to the left and right as Jerekks group made their way directly down the center of the chamber towards the portal. Their boots clicked and echoed around the chamber loudly no matter how light footed they tried to be. Pillar after pillar passed as they walked for far longer than what should have seemed possible this far under the earth.

“I've seen smaller dwarven halls” Hector stated in awe.

“As have I” Jerekk responded with a hint of worry on his voice.

“How do the dwarves make doors that open in such a way?” Ramona questioned, trying to take her mind of the ominous black that surrounded them.

“They have their mechanisms for that, though I say no such things up above” Hector responded, his knuckles whitening as he reflexively grasped the haft of his hammer.

              The frozen portal began to come into view through the blackness that surrounded them, it was every bit as magnificent as the townsfolk had spoken. Twenty feet tall and just as wide, it resonated with an invisible hum that beat through their chests and made them feel uneasy, almost sick. The hum poked and prodded at their minds as they drew closer causing an itch that was impossible to scratch.

              Jerekk stopped and held up his right hand in a clenched fist, signaling his companions to stay their steps. The two other groups could be heard slowly approaching from either side, their clacking footsteps echoing out of the dark a stones throw away. It was only a few moments before the group was reunited in its entirety, the group that Wren had led looking especially pale as they approached.

“What is it Wren?” Hector questioned with a concerned look as Jerekk slowly made his way up to the portal.

“Voices... we could hear voices, mumbling at us from the dark” He answered in a quiet panicked tone.

“What do you mean? What did they say?” Hector questioned worriedly.

“I don’t know brother, it was a dark speech, one I care not to repeat” He answered shakily.

              A bone rattling thump sounded moments later causing everyone to turn their heads towards the dormant portal. Jerekk stood in front of it, his face inches from it. He had a hand in front of him, his palm flat against an invisible barrier as if he was gazing out a window. He chuckled as he stared into something they could not see, the humming growing louder as dust fell upon them like a thick fog.

“Its been over a hundred years since this portal was active” Jerekks voice came low and ominous through the dust, “By the thousands my father’s perfect soldiers marched through, hauling their war machines and driving twice as many slaves like cattle, a beautiful sight it must have been”.

“Jerekk what are you talking about?” Ramona yelled, looking for Hector through the thick clouds of dust.

The sounds of clanking armor and the slaps of bodies hitting the stone floor sounded out al around her.

 “I am freeing my father dear Ramona, would you not free your father if he was trapped in a cage?  Would you not travel the earth to find a way to free him” Jerekks voice began to rise into a shout, “The legions will walk this land again, and I will be their deliverer, I will be a god amongst men my dear Ramona!”

              The dust whipped around the girl as she struggled to find any of her companions, her eyes nearly useless now as the dark closed upon her and she stumbled back and worth trying to orientate herself. She could not go back but she was terrified at what she might find if she pushed towards the portal, both options nearly impossible at this point. Ramona pointed herself in the direction she thought the portal lay, where she thought her captains voice had come from and began walking forward, drawing a short blade off her side as she did so.                   

              Ramona fought to keep herself steady as she made her way forward, guarding her face the best she could with her free hand, trying desperately to wrap her scarf over her mouth and eyes. Her mind reeled as she tried to make sense of what was happening, and where were her companions, none of them had made a noise since the dust began to swirl about them.

“You’re nearly here girl, come join us” Jerekks voice sounded again maniacally.

“What is this Jerekk? What has come over you?!” Ramona screamed through her scarf.

              A long, loud laugh was her only response as she continued forward, her boots slipping on the cold floor as she tumbled forward into a dark puddle. She found herself palms down in a pool of blood and viscera, Ramona gasped loudly, tears welling up in her eyes as she began to realize what had come of her companions. She quickly pushed herself back up almost immediately tripping again over a heavy hammer that was no doubt Hectors.

“Come now girl! Just a few more steps!” the mad voice of Jerekk screamed out as the torrent of dust reached its climax, turning skin raw and howling as loud as a raging battle.

              Ramona screamed as she was flung into one of the mighty pillars by the powerful magic winds, a loud crack sounding as she made contact. Her vison blurred and she slipped in and out of consciousness several times before finding her bearings and looking up to where the pillar stood. The dust had settled some time in her unconsciousness, the pale glow of the activated portal illuminating a section of the room for her to gaze upon the horrors that Jerekk had committed.

              The bodies of her comrades had been dismembered and skewered upon the spikes of the mighty gateway that now glowed an unnatural blue, the once empty window now a shimmering haze to an unimaginable realm. Weapons and blood covered the floor along with piles of intestines and other organs Ramona could only guess at the origin of. Jerekk had torn them to pieces and pinned them to the portal as some kind of sacrifice she presumed before emptying her stomach on the floor next to her.

“Get up girl, come gaze into the void with me!” Jerekk screamed as he grabbed Ramona by the back of her neck and hauled her up with one hand.

“Let go of me demon!” she screamed back.

“Not yet, my father has denied me the gift thus far” He answered in a low voice, “Maybe now, maybe now he will give me what I have earned”.

              The large man stood with the women still clutched in his hand in front of the shimmering portal. He took a long, deep breath before thrusting her face first into it, the skin burning away as her eyes burned like coals and her screams wrang louder than one would think humanly possible.

              She could see legions of monsters, knights clad in impossibly perfect armor in a hundred different colors, war machines that could drive over houses, dogs so twisted by the void they resembled lizards or insects. The slaves were the most horrifying though, thousands of them, bloody and bruised, missing limbs and teeth, most had their hair burnt away if it did not fall of them from the cancerous dark magic that engulfed the realm. They were all naked, thousands of malnourished slaves about to be taken into the coldest region of the world without a scrap of clothing.

“They’ll make a great feast for my father” Jerekk stated proudly, as if he knew what she was thinking.

              Ramona was pulled back from the portal before being thrown to the floor, she frantically clutched at her face where it had burnt away only to find that it was intact. A moment later Jerekk howled with pride as the first of the knights made its way through the portal, the shimmering light bending unnaturally around him as he tugged a heavy chain with a dozen slaves connected by their necks to it.

“Feast” The knight stated as the naked, boney men and women fell to their knees and began lapping up the blood off the floor in front of her.

“Where is my father?” Jerekk questioned, looking at the knight with burning eyes.

“He will be upon us soon brother” the monster responded, “He will be very proud of his favorite son”.