The Ice Queen's Lover Ch.8

Jayce glared into the snowy distance spread out before him. He reached up and tied the scarf over his face a bit tighter to keep his face warm. He had already been treading through the thick snow of the Freljord for more than a few days. His body felt numb from the cold, keeping back the exhausted aches he knew were there. A new respect for Freljord tribes grew in him with each passing minute.

He rubbed his gloved hands against his thighs to fight against the cold creeping in. He gritted his teeth as he tried spy the mountain he was looking for through the growing blizzard. The one he was looking for was not well known and said to hold mystical treasures within it. This trip felt like a worse idea the longer he stayed but he refused to go back on his word. He would find the Ice Witch, even if it killed him.

He sighed softly, the hot breath flowing against his scarf and warming his skin. He adjusted his goggles and swiped away the snow and frost that clung to them. He relaxed slightly now that he was able to see again. He ignored the shiver that ran through him and tried to focus on his direction again.

Something felt off in the wind and it was very distracting. He shook his head, trying to get the feeling to go away; it was not very scientific. He pushed it down and trudged on, keeping a close eye on his compass. He sneered angrily as the snow swirled about him, the visibility was murder. It picked at nerves that were already raw from exhaustion and hunger. His souring mood kept his focus narrowed, making the world about him start to dwindle. His preoccupied mind was unobservant of the shift in color off to the side of him; something was moving in the blizzard.

The sound filled his ears before anything else. A vicious growl of territorial rage split the snow-silenced air. Jayce grabbed the basic survival knife off his belt mere seconds before a solid mass barreled into him. The force was jarring as he was slammed into the snow covered ground a few feet away onto his stomach. He heard a loud crack but did not feel the agony of snapping bone to go along with it, only felt the dull ache of impact. He forced himself onto his back with a grunt, tightening his hold on his knife. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was glad he had not fallen on it.

He focused in on the creature before him. His eyes widened in confusion as he looked it over. It resembled Nunu's yeti but grey with tusks and long claws. The vision made him hiss in frustration. This creature was big and the odds that he was going to do well in a fight with it were very low. He could already feel his limbs numbing from laying in the snow but still felt to winded to stand up.

The creature roared loudly and started to stalk closer. It's rage-filled eyes watched Jayce, unobservant of the rest of the world. The world about them felt as if it disappeared as both man and beast slowly stood to their full heights. The visible difference between them was concerning but Jayce forced the feeling away. Jayce's mind started picking out main points in the creature's body that he could hit to help him win.

Jayce took a step forward. His eyes widened slightly as the ground gave way slightly. He hoped that it was simply the snow moving beneath his boot but subconsciously he knew that was not the truth. His focus was quickly shifted to the yeti-like creature as it came charging towards him. Jayce quickly sidestepped as it attempted to bodyslam him. The impact of the creature hitting the ground sent enough vibrations to knock Jayce off his feet once more.

The world seemed to plummet beneath him as the crack from earlier rang out in a nerve wracking echo. The ground gave way, sending Jayce, snow, and the yeti down into the darkness of a glistening black ice cavern. Jayce cried out as his stomach clenched and twisted uncomfortably. He could hear the anxious roar of the yeti as it fell as well not too far from him. Jayce could only clench his eyes shut and grit his teeth as he descended deep into the hallow. He hated his scientific mind as it calculated the possibility of him getting out of this in one piece.

A snag in his fall seemed to happen at once all too quickly and yet as if it took an eternity. The worried roar of the yeti suddenly turned to a cry agony but was abruptly cut off. Jayce opened his eyes in time to see a spire of black ice pierce through the center of the creature, locking it's face in a scene of agony.

Still falling, Jayce watched it horror as spikes of ice shot out from its core, dismembering the creature and brutalizing it. He felt sick for an entirely different reason than the fall. He was pulled from the horror trap in his mind as a cold solid substance suddenly clenched around his leg, jolting him hard enough to leave him with a temporary limp if he made it out alive, and then around his torso, leaving him suspended upside down in the air.

The sudden jolt of realization that he was not falling to his death left him panting for breath as his heart pounded in his chest. He twisted as best he could to see the ice that was holding him. He was left blinking in confusion, fear, and numbing cold stealing his mind of most logic.

"Shh... Let the cold take you." The frosty whisper made a shiver pass up his spine as something slipped under his scarf and sharp cold claws soothingly stroked his throat, making it feel like his throat was freezing. His breath caught as he blinked slowly, his body feeling heavier and more tired. He blinked slower and let his head drop back down. The vision of crimson eyes and blue lips smiling at him filled his vision before everything faded to the dark.