God Hunter

By Jack Chovet

In a world slowly dying; Tom, a mere orphan, has been given the task of scaling the mountain that looms over his tranquil village. Along with those also chosen for the job, they know only of a legend spoken by the Elders.. A possible solution to the worlds decay. But up there lies a terrible truth.The End is coming and there is only one chance, one shot at preventing it. Can Tom hunt down the old Olympian gods, who in their madness brought about the end of times ? For Tom, he must at least try, the impossible; for his sister. For his village. And for the entire world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jack Chovet
• Release date: Jun 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9791069954236

Book preview

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, the gods used to be present in the world of humans. They whispered in the winds, shook the earth with their wrath, and were worshipped by those they called mortals. And yet, slowly, but surely, they were forgotten. As time went on and technology advanced, the miracles of the gods became too easily explained by scientific rationality, and eventually, none remembered the gods of Olympus. 

Until one day, they returned. 

The village of Tzaki was in effervescence. People were running around, gathering supplies, weapons and handing them over to the group of teenagers standing proudly at the entrance of the village. Their faces were a mix of excitement, pride and a certain amount of anxiety. Tom sighed, shuffling his feet. Today was the day. The day were he and the others chosen by the elders would go and attempt to reach the top of the mountain. He risked a glance at the looming mass at the bottom of which the village stood. It stood out strangely, a gigantic mountain in the middle of an otherwise fairly flat land, shadow cast upon the village in the morning. 

A young girl, twelve at most, approached him, holding a long spear that she handed to him as she reached him. He gave her a soft smile, which the little brown haired girl gave back, her happy grin shining on her round face. 

-Thanks for that Liz. His little sister was always so helpful.

-No problem big bro ! She cheered. She looked so happy. So hopeful. He could hardly blame her, he’d been the same when he was her age.  Her smile faded somewhat, as her stance shifted to something more nervous. 

-Are you... are you ready ? Did you forget anything ?

He sighed.

-I... He took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh. I am. I think. And I checked everything, I didn’t forget anything now that you brought me this. He tapped the spear, giving a chuckle.

She smiled, her cheer returning somewhat. 

-Ok. You realize once you’re gone, there’s no coming back to grab a pair of socks yeah ? She gave a sly grin at that, which turned to a scowl as he flicked her head. 

-Yes yes, don’t worry, I’ve got everything. He dropped his bag, opening it so she could take a look. See ? No need to worry.

She gave a grumble, but looked otherwise satisfied. The crowd started to part as an old man, with white hair, wearing some elaborate red robes, approached the group of teens. His hunched over posture and walking stick gave him a benign appearance, but the sharp look in his eyes belayed a quick mind. Tom tapped his sister on the shoulder, making her look around, her eyes widening as she took in the old man approaching. She gave him a quick hug, before slipping back into the crowd.

Tom straightened as the old man stopped in front of them, his gaze taking each of the twelve teens in front of him. After a silent minute, he opened his mouth, revealing it to be missing a few teeth, and started to speak in a rusty, yet imposing voice.

-Sons and daughters of Prometheus. You have been chosen today, to be our village’s champions for this year’s Trial. You were chosen because you showed bravery, cunning, and skill. You are the best of your age. He paused, letting his words settle in, pride swelling in the hearts of the teens. And yet, the challenge before you is the greatest you have yet to face. Every year, twelve are chosen. And every year, twelve fail. At that, the pride was replaced with unease, yet none dared move. The old man locked eyes with each of them. You may ask why. You may demand answers. I shall give them to you. None of them would ask anything, Tom almost snorted. They all knew why. But this was the traditional speech, and none would dare ask the old man to change it. Many years ago, the gods descended upon these lands, to remind the people of their rulers, and to bring back the old ways. And yet, in our arrogance, we angered them, and failed in our duties. We all suffered the punishment inflicted. Our lands were ruined. Our people killed, nearly to the last. All hope seemed lost. He straightened, his hands gesturing to the mountain.

AND YET ! The gods deigned give us a sign, a way for us to be redeemed ! Should one of our young manage to reach the top of the mountain that was born upon their arrival, we would be given a chance at salvation ! At that, a cheer rose from the crowd, men and women of all ages praising the gods.

Despite our failures, despite our faults, they gave us another chance ! And it is one, we shall not fail to grasp ! He turned once more towards the teens. You were the ones chosen to attempt the climb. None have succeeded until now, and I will not hide that it is an arduous task. Monsters will plague your way, the cold will bite your skin, and only the gods know what other obstacle they may put in your way.

He approached them, and, as had been repeated during the previous days, all the teens fell to their knees. The old man walked to the first of them, on the right.

May Demeter ensure your vitality. he walked up to the second. May Dionysus keep you from madness. then to the third, May Athena grant you wisdom. to the fourth, May Hermes guard your path. to the fifth, May Aphrodite’s fan your passion., stopping at each to speak once more. May Hephaestus make your weapons strong. May Artemis bless your hunt. May Apollo brighten your days. May Ares guide your arm. May Hera ensure your loyalty. May Poseidon make the earth solid under your feet. May Hades keep your from the underworld.

He stepped back, turning himself towards the crowd. And may Zeus grant you victory. These prayers go to all of you. Do not forget your lessons.

At that, he turned to them, as they rose, and his face lost for the first time it’s stony facade, softening, his voice turning gentle. And do not forget, that you are loved by all who see you leave. You carry our hopes and dreams. Good luck heroes, and may the gods be with you. Tom wondered how many teens he had seen leave the village, never to return. He wondered if it ever became easier on him.

At that, they all bowed, and gave one last wave to the crowd, Tom spotting his little sister blinking away tears as she waved both her arms at him. He gave her a wide smile, hoping his own tears wouldn’t be noticed. Then, seeing the other teens turn, he broke away from her eyes, and started to walk down the path towards the mountain.

––––––––

It had been a fairly silent walk, each of the teens keeping to themselves as the weight of the task ahead started to settle in. Tom was twirling his spear absent-mindedly, trying to keep his mind away from the thoughts that came at the sight of the forest stretching before the group. Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the forest which lined the bottom of the mountain. At that, the teen at the front, Hector, gave a sign to stop. Then, he turned towards the rest of the group.

-Alright, before we go any further, I believe we should take care of a few things.

At that, the group looked at him, curious.

-Are we planning on sticking as a group, or going each our own way ?

That was actually a good question. Whilst on the one hand sticking together would make them stronger, it would also risk the entire group dying should things go wrong. On the other hand, separating ensured one failure wouldn’t see them wiped out, but would make them tempting targets for the monsters in the woods. After a minute of pondering, a girl he knew called Lia spoke up.

-I think we should separate in small groups. Maybe pairs ? That way, we still have someone to watch our backs, but we are divided enough to increase our chances or someone making it to the top.

It was a sound plan, Tom had to give her that. He looked around, crossing eyes with his old friend, Samantha. The girl gave him a nod, walking towards him, adjusting her bow as she did so. They’d met proper during their first hunt, being assigned to the same group, and successfully working together to take down a large deer. They weren’t quite as close as say Jon and Ezan, a short red haired boy and a tall lanky one, who seemed to also have paired up, but Tom could hardly name someone besides his sister who he felt closer to.

The pairs were made very quickly, most of them having had to work together since childhood.

Hector nodded his head at them, before turning towards the forest.

-Alright everyone, I guess we’ll separate as we go along the path. I doubt it goes on much longer anyway...

And indeed, after only ten minutes, and four of the pairs leaving, only Hector, his partner Rizan, a fairly happy go lucky girl who was an expert in spear wielding, Samantha, and Tom remained. They looked to each other. Then, Hector gave a sigh, followed by a grin.

-Alright, guess this is it huh ? Hopefully we’ll see each other at the top.

Rizan gave a nod, flashing a thumbs up.

-Yep yep ! Don’t you die guys yeah ?

Tom chuckled.

-We’ll see you there then.

Samantha gave a smile.

-Indeed. Good luck.

They gave each other one last salute, before separating, Tom and Samantha heading straight, whilst Hector and Rizan walked to the left. Tom adjusted his backpack, looking at the fairly steep trek that lay before them, giving a sigh.

-Well, I guess this is really it huh.

Samantha gave an apprehensive smile.

-It is. So, how do we want to proceed ?

He gave the path ahead a considering look.

-I think we should stick to the parts that aren’t too steep. It’ll take longer to reach the top, but we’ll be able to defend ourselves if we get attacked.

She nodded.

-Seems like a good idea, let’s stick to that.

The forest wasn’t exactly dark, in fact it was quite sparse in terms of trees. However the large amount of bushes made every instant a potential ambush from the smaller predators, such as snakes or particularly cunning wolves; However the main issue came from the unknown of the place. Everyone knew there were monsters, but no one knew what kind. No one ever returned from the forest around the mountain, and even less further ahead. Tom took a look around. The sun was still up, and it’s light easily pierced the pine needles. He couldn’t see anything that could indicate they were being followed... but caution was a necessary thing here. He was hesitant to strike conversation with Samantha, worried it might give away their position, or preventing them from hearing whatever creature might try and get the drop on them. He was brought out of his musing by Samantha taping his shoulder. She had slowed down, barely, but her eyes told him everything. Something was there. He gave the smallest of nods, and grabbed his spear a little tighter. 

He looked around, closer this time. The mossy stones, the bushes rustling from the slight breeze... hang on. That one was rustling just a little too much. Twenty meters to their right. 

Samantha didn’t hesitate, she drew the string of her bow back, took barely half a second to aim, and let the arrow fly. It went true, and struck something from the cry of pain that came from the bush. He aimed his spear towards the bush, as a large creature emerged from the bush. It looked like a large dog, a very large dog in fact, with eyes glowing red and a mouth full of fire. His eyes widened.

-Hellhound ! He’d read about those, beasts from Hades underworld that had become semi-common since the end of the Old World.

The beast had an arrow lodged in its back, piercing the thick dark hide and managing to draw a thin stream of crimson blood. From it’s snarling face, revealing large knife like fangs, it was more than a little annoyed. Samantha immediately notched another arrow, whilst Tom kept an eye on the target, watching it’s next move. The beast howled, and before she could fire, it charged at them, at a surprising speed for a beast closer to the size of a bear than a wolf. Tom gulped, standing in its way, holding his ground and planting his spear in the ground. But instead of doing like most beasts Tom had hunted, the monster jumped to the side, preventing itself from ramming into the tip, opening its jaws as it pawed at the ground to regain momentum. 

Tom cursed, digging out the spear and turning towards the hellhound as Samantha managed to lodge an arrow in the monster’s left eye, making it howl in pain. Tom saw his chance and rushed at the beast, ignoring the little voice screaming in panic in his head, aiming the spear at its throat. Yet, it seemed the monster wasn’t done yet, as it charged him, managing to catch Tom short, swiping at him, almost tearing him in two with its massive claws were it not for Tom’s quick side step. He jabbed at the monster’s side, managing to pierce it’s hide and make it bleed again. The hellhound yelped, turning around, only to receive an arrow at the base of its neck. It froze and fell. Tom let out a sigh of relief, falling to the ground, adrenaline still pumping. All things considered, that went relatively well. Samantha approached, taking her knife out and slitting the downed monster’s throat. One could never be too sure. She walked up to him, giving him a hand which he gracefully accepted. They both stared at the corpse, before Tom gave it a kick. 

-So... arrow to the spine huh ?

-Yep. Lucky shot, I was aiming for the other eye.

He nodded. 

-I’m mostly surprised it actually pierced deep enough to severe it.

She gave a grin.

-Yeah, not going to question it. Wouldn’t want to tempt fate.

He shrugged. 

-I suppose... we should keep moving, the smell will attract others.

The forest felt more oppressive. Samantha had an arrow notched, but kept the string loose, and Tom kept his eyes roaming on every bush and rock, searching the tree tops for any sign of movement. Yet for a while, nothing happened. After hours of walking, they reached a slight mountain plateau, deciding to take a break there. 

They settled down after clearing a small area, deciding not to make a fire despite the lowering temperatures. 

-So, this has been surprisingly simple so far...

Tom gave an incredulous look to Samantha.

-Easy ? That... wouldn’t be the way I’d put it.

She gave him a slightly annoyed look.

-Come on, it’s been almost a day by now and besides the ONE hellhound, the worst problems we’ve had are slippery rocks and thorny bushes. This isn’t close to what we were expecting.

He wanted to rebuke her, but he really couldn’t. The trial was a topic of discussion regularly brought up amongst those young enough to one day participate. The volatile imagination of children made them imagine legions of monsters, earthquakes and the forest itself attempting to kill them. Whilst the hellhound had been a frightening encounter, it was very far from what they had imagined. 

-I...I get what you’re saying, but no need to tempt fate. We’ll just have to stay on our toes. 

She sighed, but nodded. No need to provoke the gods by questioning their good luck. 

Tom spent the next hour cleaning his spear and keeping watch, whilst Samantha took a small nap. The air was getting colder, and whilst their warm clothes would be enough for now, the snow visible further up the mountain indicated that it would get much colder. He sighed. He was going to miss the warm air of the prairies. 

After the hour passed he went up to her and shook her awake. She blinked blearily at him, before getting up. 

-So, should we continue, or should we use here as a campsite for the night ?

She looked up. 

-We still have a good few hours before night falls. I think we should try and gain as much terrain as we can.

He shrugged. 

-I guess so. We can always backtrack if needed I suppose...

They picked up their equipment and continued trekking up the mountain. Tom looked up at the summit of the mountain. Despite having made a good way up, the peak still seemed as far as ever. 

The silence was honestly getting very stressful. The trees were growing sparser, indicating they were reaching the edge of the forest. He was expecting an explosion at any moment, a monster attacking them, or... just something to happen. And yet, nothing. 

A scream pierced the air. Tom and Samantha immediately turned in it’s direction, eyes wide. Tom spoke in a frightened voice.

-Hector... he made to run towards the scream; It sounded far away but maybe he could make it if he was fast enough ! However, a vice grip on his arm stopped him. He turned, looking at Samantha’s resigned expression. 

-There’s no point. By the time we get there they’ll be dead and you know it.

He tore himself away from her, yet didn’t bolt off.

-But we can’t just ...!

Her expression wavered, but she continued, her voice slightly raised. 

-We knew some of us wouldn’t make it ! We knew most of us wouldn’t make it ! Hades, none of us might make it ! That was the point of dividing ourselves, if we go there we die !

His fists tightened, his eyes glaring at her. Then, he let out an angry breath, before nodding. 

-Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.

She nodded slowly, her eyes lowering, before she tugged at his sleeve. 

-Come on, we need to move.

They returned to their walk, moving at a more urgent pace, their heads swivelling in paranoid fashions, standing close to each other. The walk was occasionally interrupted with steeper climbs, where one would climb whilst the other guarded, usually Tom as Samantha could protect him better once she was on top of the ledge. 

By the end of the day, they had finally reached the edge of the forest. Thankfully no other screams had resounded since, yet they were both still on edge. The side of the mountain loomed ominously above them, devoid of any vegetation, the ground covered in indentations and rock formations, creating an eerily labyrinthian appearance. Tom looked to Samantha. 

-The sun will be out in around half an hour. Do we want to start setting up, or go a little further ahead ?

She pondered a little, before shaking her head.

-I’d rather we go ahead a little further. Put some distance between us and there. Besides, it doesn’t take long for us to unpack for the night.

He nodded. They looked to the rocky side, before heading forward once more, finding a seemingly already treaded path through the stones. 

-Looks like we aren’t the first ones to make it out of the forest huh. Tom said as they started following the path up.

-I’d be surprised if we had been. At least it gives us a clear way forward... meaning if we settle near the side of the path, hopefully the others will find us if they make it out during the night.

He gave a half heated grin. 

-Yeah... we can hope.

They settled after a short walk in a small alcove under a cliff, setting up a fire outside as the light faded in the sky, the sun shining it’s last rays upon the land. They were fairly silent as they did, exhaustion starting to get to them. 

-So, who’s getting first watch ? Samantha asked. 

-I took it last time, so I’d rather get some early shut eye tonight. I’ll take second watch.

She grumbled, but nodded. He set his backpack on the floor, taking out a simple cover and settling in for sleep. It came quickly, falling asleep almost as soon as his eyes closed. 

A voice. Something was calling him, but it was so far away... he couldn’t understand, what were they saying ? He could see a light, and a silhouette hunched over, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. It rose, turned around...

He was shaken awake. 

-Tom. Tom. Tom.

He groaned, turning to face the speaker. The tired visage of Samantha greeted him, cast in part in shadows from the light of the fire. 

-It’s your turn. I’m going to sleep now.

He gave a tired grunt, but wiggled out of his cover, getting up and walking to the entrance, grabbing his spear with him. 

He looked behind him to see Samantha all but fall to the floor, barely pulling her blanket over her before she started to snore. 

He gave a slight smile at that, suppressing a giggle. But as his eyes found the darkness of their surroundings, the fire only allowing to see a few meters ahead, his mood dropped like a rock. The events of the day came rushing back, his traitorous mind inventing sounds and images in the silent darkness. He could almost hear Hector’s scream again... He shook his head. He couldn’t afford to dwell on these things, not when the task at hand was so crucial. It was easy to forget at times, when it looked so peaceful, that the land was dying slowly... every year, the yields grew worse, the weather more violent, and the ground less stable. No one liked to talk about it, but it was obvious that the village, and most likely all the others in the area, would go extinct in their generation. His grip tightened on his spear. They were one of the last groups that would be sent to the mountain. They could not let anything distract them. His breathing hitched. Not even... a tear fell, then another, and suddenly he was sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming his face. 

By morning he’d managed to hide most traces of his breakdown, although his eyes were still quite red. If Samantha noticed, she didn’t say anything. They packed up in silence, before heading back upwards along the path. 

The further up they went, the colder and more biting the wind got. Whilst their thick clothing kept them warm for now, Tom held no illusions of that lasting for the whole climb. 

The winding path made things nerve wracking, as any corner could hide all manner of danger, and the wind prevented them from hearing the more subtle sounds. Tom was slightly embarrassed to have to admit jumping and stabbing wildly more than once at a simple dislodgement of small stones. 

Conversation was quick and to the point. Neither he nor Samantha wanted to risk allowing something to sneak up on them because of idle talk. It made the walk slightly awkward, but it was something they could live with. They knew each other well enough to understand what was at stake. 

After a few hours of walking, the cold had become unbearable. They had made decent progress; in fact, Tom believed they had gone at least halfway up the mountain by now; but their freezing bodies wouldn’t allow them to go any further. They found another resting spot, a flat area near a rock formation, placing themselves in cover of the wind. They lit a fire, using some wood they had collected in the forest. 

-W-we can’t continue like this. We kn-knew it was going to get cold, but this is... this is beyond a-a-anything we prepared for.

He watched the hot air condense as it escaped Samantha’s mouth, her body shaking as badly as his. Despite the multiple layers of thick clothing, the cold still managed to penetrate to their bones. He could barely feel his extremities, and was only starting to get some semblance of colour in his hands as they warmed above the fire. 

-I know. But it’s not like w-we can just go b-b-back down.

She nodded. 

-I’m not suggesting th-that. Her voice was shaky, but her expression firm. B-But we need to f-f-find a way to actually fight this.

He made a grunt of affirmation, and considered their possibilities. They could start using their torches, but it didn’t seem like it would be enough. They needed to find something else. 

-W-We need to walk closer. I-It’s going to make d-defending ourselves harder, but w-we can’t continue like this.

She gave a sigh, but nodded. 

-S-Start using the t-torches too. H-Hopefully that’ll be enough...

They stayed a little longer near the fire, warming up some more, before returning to their walk. They kept close, trying to warm each other, growing more paranoid as it put them in an awkward position to defend themselves. 

It wasn’t until a few other hours that something notable happened. It was Samantha that noticed first. A rock outcrop that had a strange shape, too geometrical for it to be natural. Approaching it cautiously, they realized that the rock had been carved in, giving it the rough shape of a building, with inscriptions on top. Unfortunately, neither of them recognized the language. They stopped in front of what appeared to be a stone door. Tom spoke first. 

-Well, that’s...new.

Samantha walked up, Tom’s eyes snapping to her and grabbing her by the arm. 

-Woah, what do you think you’re doing ?!

She startled at his touch, before giving a shrug. 

-Well I mean, aren’t you curious ?

He almost face palmed. 

-Of course I am ! But this is a random strange building on the side of the deadly mountain !  A little caution would be nice !

She gave him a deadpan look. 

-So how do you think we should go about opening the door ?

He opened his mouth, then closed it. 

-Ok, so maybe I don’t know a better way of opening the door. But what about... not opening the door ?

She sighed.

-Look, we’ve been lucky so far, but at the rate the torches are going out, and how much colder it keeps getting, we’re not going to make it.

A cold shiver went down his spine. He knew it, on some level, but to have it said aloud made it feel... far more real. 

-We need something to help us, and shelter seems like the perfect thing. Her face softened. I know it’s suspicious, and probably a trap, but as is we’re going to die.

He gave an unhappy grumble, followed by a brisk nod. 

-I don’t like it. But I see your point. He sighed, his tense posture relaxing slightly. Let’s just get it over with.

She gave him a slight grin, and went back to the door. She seemed to prepare to put all of her strength in opening the stone door, before her eyes widened as she almost slammed it against the wall, the door seemingly far lighter than it had appeared. Samantha fell to the floor, flailing her arms as she did so. Tom couldn’t stop a snort of laughter, as he walked up to her and helped her get up. She was flustered, but attempted to keep her composure. 

-It seems like it’s made out of wood... a lot lighter than it seems.

He tried to control the grin spreading on his face, but from the glare she gave him he wasn’t very successful. 

They peered inside. The room wasn’t very big, and it’s contents were incredibly simple. The walls, ceiling and floor were all made out of stone, and at the centre of it laid a simple hearth, with a small shrine behind it. 

Samantha was the first to approach the fire, whilst Tom closed the door behind them. The absence of a lock made him slightly nervous, but his attention was quickly brought back to the centre as Samantha sat near the hearth, lighting the wood which was already present in it, giving off a sigh of contentment at the rush of warm air. Deciding paranoia was not worth keeping himself away from the heat, he took a seat next to her, examining the small shrine. It looked like a small house with one wall missing, and a clay statue inside. It had a vaguely humanoid shape, yet no other discernible traits. A small bowl was placed in front of it, most likely placed there for sacrifices. 

-So, what do you think this place is ?

He turned back to Samantha at her question. 

-I’m guessing one of our predecessors decided to build himself a shelter after finding a cave, and people just added and expanded as time went on.

She considered it, but shook her head. 

-I don’t think so. None of them would have had the time or the means to dig the rock, and look at the walls : they’re so smooth ! No way they could have done such a precise job.

He let his hand caress the floor. It was indeed very smooth, strangely so. It felt more like marble than rock. 

-Huh. Well, I’m not sure. Maybe this is a minor god’s home ?

Her face paled at that.

-Oh gods... maybe coming in here was not such a good idea...

Tom shook his head. 

-You said it yourself. It was that or death.

She didn’t seem convinced. 

-Death before damnation Tom...

He shrugged uncomfortably.

-It’s a little too late for that... we’re already here. As long as we don’t show bad manners, we should be fine...

Her expression turned resigned, and she bowed her head, turning to the altar and whispering prayers, giving a little food in sacrifice. He followed her example. He wasn’t the most pious of the village, but he was certainly fearful of the gods wrath, and knew better than to provoke them...

As the food started to burn, a small whisper of smoke started to come out of the shrine, enveloping the hearth. Tom and Samantha gasped, backing off, Samantha with awe and wonder on her face, Tom surprise and fear. 

Neither dared move as the smoke started to gather at the centre of the fire, swirling faster and faster, the flames almost swallowed in the turbulence. And then, in an instant, the flames and the smoke disappeared, absorbed into a single bright ember at the centre of the hearth. 

A moment passed, where neither moved. Then, Samantha started to rise up, walking slowly towards the hearth, her hand outstretched. Tom, too transfixed by what had happened, didn’t even try to stop her. 

She reached to the ember, hesitating for a second, then grabbed it. Hey wary gaze turned to wonder. 

-It’s warm... but it doesn’t burn.

Tom finally snapped out of it. 

-Wait, what ?

She turned towards him, holding the ember out to him.

-Here, hold it !

He reached cautiously for it, and as his hand closed on the ember, he felt his entire body warm up, gentle heat spreading throughout his limbs. He couldn’t stop a sigh of contentment, and gave the ember a look of awe. 

-By the gods... this... it’s a miracle...

Samantha’s face broke into a wide grin.

-I told you ! I told you we would find something in here !

He gave an absent minded nod, still transfixed by the ember. It fit in the palm of his hand, radiating a slight orange light. Whilst warm, no matter how long he held it it didn’t burn him, it didn’t even feel uncomfortable. In fact, he couldn’t even feel the cold any more; his fingers were returning to a more natural colour, and his body had gone from a tense shivering mess to relaxed and warm. 

-Tom ? Tom, I know it’s... well, you know but we need to get going. With this, we can finally keep going up !

That brought him back to the present. He turned back to her, giving a sincere smile. 

-Yeah. Let’s get going. Here, you hold it first alright ? We’ll swap it from time to time.

She gave a nod, taking the ember in her hand as she passed him and opening the door. Strangely enough, the cold didn’t seem to seep into the room. The sight of the outside, cold and grey, brought Tom’s mood down some, but still he followed Samantha outside, closing the door behind him. 

The cold wasn’t as horrible to endure as before, now that he had warmed up. He looked up to Samantha.

-So ? Do you still feel the cold ?

Her grin was almost manic.

-Nope ! Not even a little ! This is amazing !

He gave a relieved nod. They started walking, side by side as they looked around. After a while of walking on the path, Samantha passed him the ember. He felt immediately relieved, feeling all the cold that had taken him be swept away by the blessed warmth. And just in time, as they had finally reached the beginning of snow. Quickly, the entire landscape was covered, not one inch of stone visible under the thick white blanket. Only the path seemed untouched, which would have been far more concerning had they not already witnessed the miracle ember. 

Tom had to admit, the snow covered landscape was as beautiful as it was worrying. The uniformity of the snow made seeing differences in terrain difficult, and anything could be hiding behind what he could see as open land. 

A whisper. Tom turned, stabbing at the air, only to realize there was nothing behind him. Eyes wide, he turned around, looking wildly. Did he... no nothing around. Did he really imagine that ?

Samantha looked at him, seeming concerned, but he waved her off.

-Just the wind. This place is making me paranoid.

She nodded, a look of understanding on her face. 

He passed the ember back to her, immediately missing the feeling of warmth, quickly replaced by bone chilling cold. No matter how close they stood next to each other, only the one holding the ember would feel its effects. 

It felt like they had been walking for days, passing the ember to each other, yet he knew it had only been hours. The weather had picked up, and a slight blizzard made seeing further than a few tens of meters an impossibility. They were close, very close. He knew it. He’d seen it before the blizzard arrived. 

They stopped upon seeing something further ahead, at the end of the path. Something that the blizzard had kept hidden until now. An immense set of doors, set right into the side of the mountain. He couldn’t see many details from here, but they seemed heavily decorated. There was also a figure in front of the doors. Compared to them it seemed very small, but even from here he could see it was easily far taller and broader than him. He gulped, looking at Samantha, who gave him a nod. She’d noticed it too. He spoke in a whisper.

-So... how do we approach this ?

She seemed hesitant.

-Well... I mean we don’t know if it’s hostile or not, so attacking out of nowhere might be a mistake. It could just be a guardian with a riddle or something.

Tom could see where she was coming from, but on the other hand the sheer size of whatever this was made him wary of approaching it without caution.

-But if it’s hostile, getting close like that is just as much of a terrible idea.

She nodded. 

-Yeah, but I mean we don’t have a thousand options do we ? It’s either we start this by attacking or trying to talk.

Frustrating, but true. He looked to her, then sighed. 

-I guess we can try and talk... like you said, not like we have many choices besides attacking.

She gave a half hearted grin.

-I mean we can always go back...

Tom gave her a deadpan look, to which she pouted.

-Fine fine, let’s go say hi to the big scary thing.

They started walking cautiously. Tom felt the freezing cold, having just recently given Samantha the ember, make his body shake. Or was it the fear ? The closer they got, the more he realized that the being in front of the doors was truly massive. Almost twice his size... and far bulkier. 

Finally, they got close enough to distinguish the being in front of them. Like Tom had seen, it towered over them. It looked like a massive man, but too large, unnaturally so, with a single eye on its face. Tom gulped, he’d heard the legends of such beings. Cyclops... creatures of immense strength, although not the sharpest tools in the shed. It was wearing a simple loincloth, and held a tree trunk in his left hand. 

It lowered its head towards them, it’s face expressionless. It might as well have been made of marble. Tom realized that he had frozen at the movement, and a quick glance