Titans Divide

Titan's Divide, a spine of ancient magical stone and ice that cleaves the continent, its thousand-foot summit lost in clouds. Form time immemorial, it has stood as a sentinel, a barrier as impenetrable as the secrets it holds. Its face, a scarred testament to countless assaults, a symbol of defiance against the Empire's hungry reach, and a testament to the indomitable spirit of those who call it home-The Frostborn. The empire's mightiest lie broken at its base, their assault thwarted. They came time and time again, to scale its heights, to conquer, but found only ruin. Now their corpses rest at the bottom of the dead river below, a sunken monument to their unrelenting failure.

JOVIAN

Titans Divide

"Took you long enough."

"Curse you," I growled, my voice edged with both fear and fury.

The commander chuckled, a low, mocking sound that reverberated through the cavern, bouncing off the rough, uneven walls. His eyes glinted with malice, a predator savoring his prey.

"Scurrying away like a frightened wisp, are we? Your futile resistance ends here."

The commander rose slowly from the stump of a tree, where he had been sitting in wait, his movements deliberate, almost lazy, as if he had all the time in the world. His cold eyes fixed on us, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"Any last words, Princeps?" he sneered, his voice laced with taunting superiority, as though he were savoring the moment, certain of his dominance.

His hand drifted to the hilt of his sword, the metal whispering as it slid free from its scabbard. "Come now, Princeps, are you going to make me wait?"

Without hesitation I unsheathed my sword in a single, urgent sweep, hurling myself at him with all the force I could muster. But he was ready—his sword, dark and gleaming like polished obsidian, met mine with a force that reverberated through the cave.

The battle erupted with sudden fury. I swung my blade with all my strength, the clash of steel ringing through the cave like thunder in a storm. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat fueling my desperate attempts to overpower the commander. Each strike I aimed was meant to be decisive, to end this nightmare of a man and get Selene to safety, where ever that was.

Each parry was executed with an almost imperceptible grace, each dodge a silent testament to his preternatural skill. The battle was not just a clash of weapons but a masterful display of control, with him as the steady conductor guiding the discordant symphony of our struggle.

He stepped aside with ease, my blade slicing through empty air. He blocked my next attack effortlessly, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement. I could see it in his face – he was toying with me, enjoying my futile efforts. My frustration grew, my attacks becoming more frantic and less controlled. He sidestepped another swing, the tip of my sword scraping the stone wall, sending sparks into the air.

"You fight with passion, but no skill," he taunted, his voice calm and steady despite the chaos around us. He lunged forward, his sword aiming for my heart. I barely managed to deflect it, the force of his attack sending vibrations up my arm.

I gritted my teeth, pushing back with all my might. My muscles screamed in protest, exhaustion threatening to overtake me. But I couldn't stop. I couldn't lose, not here, not now. I swung again, aiming for his head, but he ducked, the blade whistling over him harmlessly. His own sword flashed out, slicing a thin line across my thigh. The pain was sharp and immediate, making me stumble, but I forced myself to regain my balance, to keep fighting.

I tried to remember my training, to focus on my technique rather than my rage. But it was hard. The commander was relentless, his attacks were precise and unyielding. Each time I thought I saw an opening, he closed it before I could exploit it. His confidence was infuriating, his superiority clear in every movement.

"Is this the best you can do, Princeps?" he sneered, effortlessly dancing to evade another of my strikes. "You fight like a child who has only just learned to hold a blade." He pushed me back with a flick of his wrist, and I lost my balance, crashing onto my arse. His laughter echoed through the cave, cruel and mocking. "I expected more from the heir of Frosthold. Or have the stories exaggerated your prowess? Perhaps you're only skilled in fleeing, like a frightened doe before the hunt."

His words stung, but I used the anger they sparked to fuel my next attack. I swung my sword in a wide arc, putting all my strength behind it. For a moment, it seemed like he might be caught off guard, but then he moved, his blade meeting mine with a deafening clang. The impact jarred my entire arm, the force nearly knocking my sword from my grip.

He advanced on me again, his sword a blur of motion. I tried to keep up, but he was too fast, too skilled. A series of quick slashes left me reeling, each one drawing blood. My vision blurred, the pain and exhaustion threatening to overwhelm me.

But I couldn't stop. I wouldn't stop. Not while Selene's life was on the line. I lunged forward, my desperation lending me speed. For a moment, I thought I might actually land a hit, but then his blade was there, parrying mine with a flick of his wrist. He spun, his sword slicing through the air with deadly precision. I barely managed to block it, the force of the blow driving me to my knees.

I gritted my teeth, refusing to give in to the pain. As the commander danced around my wild swing, a misstep sent him off balance. Seizing the moment, I lunged forward, my free hand curling into a fist. With all the strength I could muster, I drove it into his chest. The impact was bone-jarring, the sound of it echoing through the cave. The commander's eyes widened in shock as he was lifted off his feet, his body hurtling backward through the air.

He crashed into the forest beyond the cave's mouth, landing with a sickening thud among the trees. For a brief moment, he lay there, coughing up blood, his hand clutching his chest in pain. I didn't wait to see if he would rise. The precious seconds bought with that strike were all I needed.

I grabbed Selene's hand and darted through the trees, our feet pounding against the uneven ground. Every step felt like a stolen breath, a brief moment of hope that we might actually escape. The forest loomed ahead, its shadows offering the promise of concealment, the chance to slip away into the night.

Just when I thought we might have lost him, the commander caught up to us, his breath ragged, his face twisted with rage. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, staining his dented armor, and his eyes blazed with a fury that sent a chill down my spine. He raised his sword to strike, the blade gleaming with deadly intent. I braced myself for the blow, but it never came.

General Icecroft emerged from nowhere, his sword meeting the commander's with a thunderous clash that echoed through the trees. 'Go!' he commanded, his voice firm and unyielding. 'There are others ahead who will buy you the time you need to escape.'" "Will you be alright?" I asked, my voice filled with concern.

Icecroft smiled grimly. "I'm not so weak as to be easily taken down, Princeps. Now run!"

I nodded, grabbing Selene's hand and pulling her away. We ran through the forest, the sounds of battle echoing behind us. Each clash of steel and shout of pain fueled our desperate flight, but General Icecroft's appearance gave us the precious seconds we needed to gain a lead.

We raced through the underbrush, our breath coming in ragged gasps, the forest closing in around us as we sprinted toward safety.

Selene and I continued our flight, the sounds of battle fading behind us. At points, we heard brief clashes of swords; those must be the people protecting us. I wondered who they were.

Ahead, the landscape opened up to Titan's Divide, The great wall standing like an insurmountable barrier. Its icy surface was scarred with deep, uneven grooves, forming crude footholds. I lifted Selene onto my back, feeling her small arms wrap tightly around my neck. We began the climb, my hands and feet finding precarious holds on the sheer rock face. The ascent was grueling, every muscle burning with exertion as I pulled us upward, the distant sounds of pursuit growing louder with each passing moment.

It took what seemed like forever but at last, we reached the top, skidding to a halt at the edge. The drop before us was dizzying—thousands of feet of sheer, unforgiving cliff that plummeted into the abyss below. The river, far beneath us, looked no larger than a thread of silver winding through the distant landscape, its surface roiling with a deadly, relentless current. The vastness of the drop was overwhelming.

Selene's grip tightened around my neck, her breath hitching in sharp, panicked bursts. Her eyes, wide and glassy, were locked on the dizzying drop below, her terror almost suffocating. She clung to me like a lifeline, her nails digging into my skin as if letting go would mean falling into the abyss.

"We won't survive that jump," She said, her voice quivering with fear.

I looked back and saw someone veiled in a dark shroud closing in on us. We had no choice. We had to take our chances with the jump.

I glanced back and my breath caught in my throat. A figure veiled in a dark shroud was closing in on us, scaling the wall with terrifying speed—using only his legs to ascend the icy surface. It was an inhuman display of agility and strength, the kind that defied reason. My heart pounded with a mix of awe and fear. Who could be that insane, that relentless? A chill of terror gripped me, colder than the wind that howled around us. We had no choice. We had to take our chances with the jump.

"Selene," I whispered, my voice firm despite the turmoil inside me, "we will survive this. I swear it. I won't let anything happen to you. Trust me."

Selene clung tightly to my back, her grip desperate as I clasped my hands together, our voices trembling as we chanted to the Leviathan of the Deep.

"Leviathan of the Deep, share with me your dominion over the waters. Let me command the tides and summon storms to drown my foes"

Just before the figure in the dark shroud reached us, we leaped. The wind howled in our ears as the river rushed up to meet us.