Prelude to Abyss
"Awawauuu...it's so cold..." expressed Asia, moving closer to Vahn as they stood near the exit of the Frozen Abyss's Starting Zone. The area near the stairs was warm, but as they moved further down the passage leading to the Floor proper, the temperature rapidly plummeted to below freezing.
As if responding to Asia's words, a large blue window appeared between the corridor's threshold and the seemingly endless expanse of tundra that awaited them outside, visible to both her and Vahn.
-------------------------------------------
[First Trial: Fimbulwinter]
The Frozen Abyss is a cold and unforgiving place. Only those with great willpower or steadfast allies can traverse it, but great power and rewards await those who can endure its Nine Trials and myriad Tribulations.
[////Warning!////]
Those who venture beyond this point will suffer the Queen of the Frozen Abyss's Curse: [Fimbulwinter's Encroachment]. Every six seconds or every 2.5 meters moved will inflict one person within a grid space with a single stack of [Fimbulwinter's Encroachment], reducing mobility and increasing the damage sustained from all sources by 1% and 5%. At 100 stacks, the victim will be afflicted with the Unique Status: [Prey], making them a target of the Queen of the Frozen Abyss and her pack. To remove stacks of Fimbulwinter's Encroachment, seek shelter, defeat monsters, or remain within three grid spaces of [Vahn Mason].
[////Warning!////]
-------------------------------------------
"Fimbulwinter..." muttered Vahn, prompting Sis to explain (It refers to a legendary catastrophic winter from Norse Mythology, said to herald the coming of Ragnarok. It would seem that Mrs. Grayfia's speculation about the Frozen Abyss having something to do with the Norse Pantheon wasn't without merit.)
"P-P-Pardon me, V-Vahn-sama. But d-d-d-do you have anything warmer I can w-w-wear...?" asked Asia, adhering as close to Vahn as their physical forms allowed.
"Yeah, of course," responded Vahn, causing Asia to startle and cry out cutely as he picked her up and carried her back to the Starting Zone's interior. There, they spent nearly an hour choosing thick winter outfits, ensuring they resisted both the Cold and Ice Elemental attacks as Vahn got the impression they would be fairly common within a place called the Frozen Abyss...
...
..
.
With Asia wearing a thick purple coat, a fur-lined cap that covered her ears, a long white skirt, mittens, purple winter boots, and his own outfit consisting of a black fur-lined tunic, thick black pants, fur-lined boots, and a mantle made from a creature called a Frostwolf, granting each of them a hypothetical 100% Resistance to Ice and Cold, Vahn was the first to step out into the vast expanse that was the Frozen Abyss's First Floor.
crunch
Seeing his foot sink several centimeters into the icy snow that covered the Floor, making it impossible to determine where each grid space was located, Vahn turned to Asia and said, "Stay close..." before venturing out a little further.
"It's not cold," remarked Asia, breathing a sigh of relief before regaining her usual smile as she appended, "Vahn-sama's power is truly incredible."
Nodding, Vahn responded, "Just make sure to stay within the boundary of my domain. It appears to be what keeps Fimbulwinter's Encroachment at bay, so if you venture outside it, your clothing might not be able to protect you."
"I understand," responded Asia, looking around the area and gripping her staff tightly as she asked, "But how can I tell if I'm inside it? I can kind of feel it, but it's invisible."
"Hmmm..."
Closing his eyes and focusing on his domain, Vahn imagined the interior warming up. It took a little while, but slowly but surely, the snow around him and Asia started melting, resulting in a circular clearing that revealed an ancient-looking stone grid beneath their feet, covered in runes.
"It feels like Vahn-sama is embracing my entire body~" hummed Asia, closing her eyes with a contented look. Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to relish in it as the melted snow revealed several skeletons wearing suits of tattered, fur-lined, battle-worn armor.
"I'm guessing those are the enemies..." remarked Vahn, materializing his Legendary Spear as the skeletons began rising, forced to their feet by icy blue energy that spread like veins across their bones and emanated from their hollow eyes like flames.
"Poor things. They must not have received their last rites..." remarked Asia, holding her staff between her arms and bringing her hands together in prayer. Doing so outside would cause her to feel like a bolt of electricity had pierced her head, but within the Corridor, she could pray as much as she desired.
"Oh...?"
Whether intentional or not, Asia's sincere prayer caused the skeleton's blackened and frozen bones to begin burning, turning progressively white as the fallen warriors released banshee-like cries and charged with their myriad weapons, ranging from ornate axes to spiked flails.
'There's no delay...' Vahn noted, an icy feeling permeating his mind as his focus elevated to its limits. At the same time, he pushed out with his left hand, sending a wave of pressure that knocked the charging warriors off their feet.
"Asia, barrier...!" reminded Vahn, taking care to keep her within the range of his domain as he lunged for the nearest skeleton. It recovered quickly and swung its axe fast enough to leave behind a prominent trail, but even without following it with his eyes, Vahn could sense it coming. As a result, he was able to dodge under it, spin on his right heel, and slice through the skeleton's spine with his spear's blade changing to a three-pronged cross with golden runes igniting across its surface.
Feeling very little resistance as his spear cut through the skeleton's spine, leaving the sliced vertebrae burning with golden light, Vahn confirmed his suspicion that they were susceptible to Light and Holy Elemental damage. He also learned that his hypothesis regarding their use of Ice was correct as a skeleton wielding a rod, garbed in tattered, fur-lined robes and with a headdress formed from a large deer's skull, opened its mouth and blasted him with a concentrated stream of icy blue, incredibly cold energy.
"Sorry, but we've prepared for things like that...!" exclaimed Vahn, moving like a blur to slice what he quickly learned was called a Draugr Shaman to pieces. He could feel the chill from the creature's breath, but thanks to his 100% Ice and Cold Resistance, it didn't hurt, cause ice to build up, or slow him in the slightest.
"Holy Light...!" shouted Asia, causing luminous golden circles to appear beneath three of the five remaining Draugr. Crosses formed from Light Elemental Energy erupted from them, but while they bleached parts of the Draugrs' bodies white and noticeably slowed their movements, they weren't eliminated outright.
"Conserve your Mana and concentrate on one at a time!" shouted Vahn, pouncing on the Draugr as they charged toward and began banging their weapons against Asia's hemispherical barrier to no avail.
"Right!" responded Asia, pointing her golden, cross-shaped staff at the further Draugr as she shouted, "Holy Cross...!"
"Aaaugh...?"
Feeling an intense, purifying heat from above, the Draugr targeted by Asia raised its head, the ghostly blue flames in its sockets waning slightly as a three-meter-tall cross formed from light fell from the sky, phasing through its body and immobilizing it as it took continuous Holy damage, eventually causing it to burst apart and scatter like blue and white ash.
'Nice...' thought Vahn, briefly looking in the direction of the Draugr that Asia had attacked while sidestepping a rune-covered spear aimed at his throat. In the same motion, he unequipped his Legendary Spear from his right hand slot and swapped it to his left, rematerializing it in the Draugr's chest, filling it with fiery golden light that caused it to crumple and follow the example of its forebears.
With only one Draugr remaining, wielding twin axes and modeling a helmet that curiously had a half-skull faceguard, Vahn unequipped his Legendary Spear and brandished his hands, saying, "It's time for you to rest..." while making a come hither gesture.
Catching Vahn a little off guard, the Draugr responded to his words by tossing its axes into the ground, seemingly intending to match him as it raised its fists, lowered its head, and tucked in its shoulders with the fiery blue light forming its eyes blazing intensely.
'These are no mere monsters...' Vahn thought, his expression resolute as he charged to meet the Draugr, kicking things off by landing a heavy left hook to its helmeted head and exposed jaw. The helmet's hardness and edge caused the knuckle of his ring finger to fracture and split, but Vahn barely registered the injury as he ducked under the Draugr's counter, a wide haymaker from his right side, reciprocating with a left jab of his own before putting his full weight behind a right straight.
With its sternum, the plate-like bone connecting its ribs and collarbones, fracturing under the force of Vahn's punch, the Draugr took a moment to reach up and touch its chest with the skeletal fingers of its right hand. For a moment, Vahn got the impression it was disappointed by its inability to withstand the blow, but that didn't stop it from raising its fists and taking the initiative to continue the fight.
(You shouldn't go easy on him. If you allow him to hit you out of pity, you will be besmirching his pride as a warrior...) stated Sis, reacting to Vahn's thoughts about letting the Draugr get at least one good hit on him before he finished it.
'Right...' responded Vahn, weaving between the Draugr's swift combo and backstepping faster than it could lunge forward to evade its tackle. As it climbed back to its feet, he got the impression it was laughing at itself as it used the bony thumb of its right hand to swipe at its nonexistent nose before getting into a ready stance, ostensibly waiting for him to go on the offensive.
"Right! Here I come...!" barked Vahn, reducing the distance between him and the Draugr, slamming his right fist against the fur and leather bracer protecting its left forearm. The Draugr had raised it to block him, but due to the difference in their strength, speed, and durability, the undead could only lament the loss of its flesh as the bones forming its forearm snapped, causing a momentary lapse in its focus as Vahn landed a decapitating left hook immediately after.
With the Draugr dissipating the moment its head was separated from its body, Vahn lowered his guard and exhaled a large cloud of condensation from his nose. He was disappointed that the Draugr didn't put up much of a fight, but not because he was looking down on it. He would have liked to fight the Draugr while it was still alive, but for one reason or another, their paths had intersected in the Corridor. All he could do now was lay each of those he encountered to rest...
"Would it be alright if I prayed for them...?" asked Asia, her voice low and tentative as she approached Vahn, interrupting his reflection.
"I don't believe they were followers of God, but so long as the sentiment is noble and pure, I don't think they'd mind..." responded Vahn, taking the initiative to bring his palms together, close his eyes, and lower his head. Under normal circumstances, he would have been disappointed that the Draugr hadn't dropped any loot, but since it would have felt like pillaging the dead, he was grateful.
Nodding her head, Asia linked her fingers together, raised her closed eyes to the dark, aurora-filled sky overhead, and prayed, "Dear Lord, I do not know how these men met their end or for what purpose they wielded their arms, but please shepherd their souls safely to where they might find rest and relief from their duties and burdens..."
"May the gates of Valhalla swing their doors open to accept you among your fellows..." muttered Vahn, highly doubting that the Corridor linked to Valhalla but not discrediting the possibility. It had allowed Akeno to meet her mother one final time, so if he believed in The Path—his power—there was no reason the Draugr couldn't find rest...
...
..
.