Episode Eighteen

The Ice King of the Atlantic

In this world nothing is impossible, but the chances of an entire island coming to life are very little. Unfortunately not that little. On the day all realities merged into one, certain changes were created in the atmosphere creating new weather, reality paradoxes and the increasing and decreasing of land mass. Mutations took heed in the water surrounding the land. Everything from hybrid creatures to ice giants in the Arctic exist; in this world trouble literally can be around every corner.

Brandis and LD stand bravely on sheets of ice with thin and thick sheets of ice surrounding a 2300 foot ice monster. The monster looks like a huge Sasquatch with pail ice like fur. Its barely visible skin is a pale arctic blue with eyes to match. His teeth are similar to icicles. Cold winds begin to pick up and it begins to grow foggy as the ice monster glares at the two warriors in front of him and begins to attack with a massive fist from above Brandis and LD. The two split in opposite directions of each other to avoid being hit. Each land on to other floating sheets of ice close to them as the monster begins to grow furious as it continues to pursue. As minutes pass and constant dodging of attacks from the monster the two begin to realize they are loosing surface to run to.

LD: We’re running outta ice!!!

Brandis: What do you expect we do then?

LD: Get to the jet! And hightail it outta here!!

Brandis: We Can’t! If we do we risk it being destroyed! And we can’t leave Ivory!

LD: Be serious!! Think man! She’s gone!

Brandis begins to think if getting to the jet would work.

LD: Lets fly!! come on!!

Brandis then gets an idea.

Brandis: That’s it!! Follow my lead!!

Brandis dives into the water quickly leaving LD alone.

LD: Great… I can’t go in the below temperature water!! Fucking coward!

Brandis then begins to rise from the water levitating with a sheet of ice mounted over his head. LD can only look on in shock as Brandis launches the ice toward the monster as it shatters into pieces(due to the air pressure) blinding it. The monster growls and yells as the shards of ice and cold makes its way into its eyes.

Brandis then jumps to LD.

Brandis: Alright let’s go! To the jet!

LD: No you were right! Too much of a risk of him damaging it! We gotta kill it!!

Brandis: HOW?!

LD draws his sword from its sheath.

LD: The throat! Do what you just did… but with me!

The monster starts to get its sight back.

Brandis then picks LD up by his hands and begins to levitate into the air. He makes a fast spin and launches LD toward the monster. The timing is not the greatest because as he does so the monster opens its mouth and swallows LD whole.

Brandis then falls to the last sheet of ice as the monster begins to make another attack it then begins to stop and starts to fall back in pain grabbing its chest. Brandis then looks up to see LD flying from the monsters chest as it simultaneously falls backwards into the water. Brandis floats up to catch a falling LD. The two then land back on to the last sheet of ice with the jet. LD is covered in green gore and blood from the monster. The monster hits the water making large waves in front of Brandis and LD. Rippling outward toward them carrying them away from the dead beast about 100 yards and then settling after a couple minutes. When the waves settle it is seen that the monster has submerged back into the water, dead, leaving only the formations of ice mountains leading to where LD and Brandis were heading.

Brandis: Interesting plan…

LD: Well kinda improvised at the last minute… getting eaten was not part of the idea…

Both chuckle a little.

LD: What do we do now?

Brandis: Ivory hasn’t reported in at all…

LD: Forget it man… she’s gone… never trust a demon…

Brandis: CAN it ok? She wouldn’t just vanish… not like that… Something must have happen in the water…

LD: Maybe the ice monster ate her…

Brandis: I don’t think so… when I was down there for a moment I saw something…a white light…

Reaching into his jacket pulling out the reader.

LD: The sword?... no… according to the reader its still above water… probably in some ice located on the beast still…

Brandis closes his eyes and momentarily senses Ivory.

Brandis: She’s in trouble…

LD: What? How do you know?

Brandis: I don’t know… I just do… sometimes when I concentrate can sense people… if they are in trouble… can’t really explain it… sometimes its happens against my will…

LD: Do you know where?

Brandis: In the water… some where… will start there. Start where I saw the light… You get the sword…

LD: If you’re not back in 15 minutes…

Brandis: If I’m not back in 15 minutes you leave with out us… get the sword back to the city… that’s more important…

The two share a friendship between warriors moment as they shake hands. Brandis then dives into the water and begins to swim fast toward the white light he saw under water. While LD begins to head back toward what is left of the monster to retrieve the sword.

As Brandis swims toward through the ice chilled water he sees a polar ice fortress. (The fortress looks like a castle- similar to the ice castle of the white witch in Narnia. Brandis can also swim in deep depths of water due to his dragon heritage. His scaled skin and lungs allow him to handle and evolve for whatever atmosphere he is in.)

Brandis then makes his way toward the castle. As he gets closer to the entrance the water climate changes gravity (meaning he is able to walk like he is on land rather than swim). The castle has a lot of statues surrounding it that resemble shark people. Many appear to be warriors because most wield tridents and spears and various other melee weapons. The area seems quiet at first but the deeper Brandis wander down the corridor cautiously, gazing hard at his surroundings. The more he travels down the long walk way the more he begins to feel eyes follow him and something that sound like foot steps. He stops and looks behind him and sees nothing. He then turns to continue to walk down the corridor and soon finds himself surrounded by the same statues he saw as he came into the castle, alive and well.

Speaking an unknown language to Brandis the platoon nudges him with there weapons questioning his motives for entering the castle.

Brandis: Hey… watch where you sticking that thing…

The creature continues to speak an unknown language to Brandis and poking him with there weapons which irritates Brandis fast and forces him to take the spear from the shark monster. This upsets the others and a fight starts between Brandis and the others.

Brandis fights the beast off with various abrasive maneuvers using his unique fighting style. Jumping, flipping, off walls while dodging with various attacks thrown in disabling his enemies while at the same time making his way down the long corridor. More enemies surface as he gets deeper and deeper into the long ice like corridor. Soon he finds himself in a large atrium area with various creatures cast in ice (from ogres to griffins to various aquatic animals), frozen in various poses. Brandis looks around and then uses one of the large ice sculptures (a large mammoth like whale) to block the door way from which he came to keep the monster from coming in behind him. He then ventures through the atrium into a round room with a cold iced thrown in the center of it. After moments of gazing around his surroundings Brandis is met by an interesting figure that resembles the creatures he met coming into the castle. Except this shark creature is more elegant, Artsy, Almost flamboyant yet cocky. He wears a crystal ice crown on the top of his head and a white fur robe which touches down and drags behind when he walks. He bears a white double breasted suit underneath his robe. He carries a silver cane with crystals lined upon it and answers to the name King Ja.

King Ja: Evening my friend… you seem to a bit…. Lost… May I help you at all?

Brandis: um…where am I? and… who are you?

King Ja: I go by many names… this is my palace… my castle… my home… although you… you seem to be far from home… looking for something are you?

Brandis: Yea… Actually… I’m looking for a woman…

King Ja: A woman huh?... not my particular… taste… but they do serve their purpose… specially before dinner…

Saying as he sits down on his thrown shaped as a king thrown but with various crystals and emeralds and also made of ice.

Brandis: Well this woman is different. She’s a friend of mine.

Brandis says calmly.

King Ja: Friend of Yours? How is that so?

Brandis grows confused for a second.

Brandis: Well…

Interrupts.

King Ja: See this is my kingdom… I made it… down here… I own everything… Down here I am god… and you…

King Ja snaps his fingers and Brandis is then surrounded by even more guards than before.

King Ja continues.

King Ja: …Now I own you. Throw him in with the other…

Brandis thinks if he should take on all the guards but figures it would be the only way to discover if anything what happen to Ivory. Brandis is taken to an ice like cell and chained to a wall willingly. Brandis sits for an hour or so and soon is met with metal shackles for his hands and feet from guards and brought back into the thrown room in front of King Ja who awaits his arrival at a dining room table- long enough to fit a family.

King Ja: May I offer you something to drink… some to eat?

Brandis says nothing but looks at the king with spite.

King Ja: I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot… I’m truly am pleasant company…

Saying as he walks closer to Brandis and touches his cheek softly in a seductively manner.

King Ja: You will come to like me… I’m just offering you an easier time for the duration of your stay here…

Brandis: Where is my friend… freak…

King Ja: Ooh such names you spite me with… but friend you say?...You mean the queen? Ivory? The mermaid Queen?

Brandis looks confused of the news he has heard.

King Ja: Oh you didn’t know? I thought you two were friends…

King Ja snaps his fingers for his guards and servants to reveal Ivory in stasis frozen in ice in a show room not far from the dining room area. She is pale blue and looks almost dead.

King Ja: She found herself here by mistake unlike you… trying to venture to the other side of the island we intercepted path her and brought her here…safe… so to speak… she did put a rather nasty fight…

Brandis: What are you going to do with her?

King Ja: Ransom her… to her kingdom… they will spend a great deal of money to have her back… and after we have the money we will give her back to her kingdom… or what’s left of her… see both our kingdoms were at war for centauries only to call it truths… but unfortunately our kingdom has not come to a great deal of wealth like hers. Do not get lost ships like we use to in the old days… not since the collapse of reality. The arctic might as well not exist…

Brandis: What? So you’re trading her?

King Ja: Indeed… you can say that… You see this stasis field she is in will create an ice clone of her in time… once its grown and the transmission is completed we will swap the clone Ivory for the money…

Brandis: …while you keep the original… but for what?

King Ja: Well my boy… this ocean is tapped for rations… and we have to eat…

Brandis starts to grow upset and lash out at King Ja who then slaps him across his face for the name calling. Brandis then calms himself to laugh.

Brandis: Wow…

King Ja: What is so funny?

Brandis continues to laugh hysterically.

King Ja begins to grow upset and slaps Brandis across his face again.

Brandis: You are such a crap villain!! Next time… don’t reveal all the secrets to your plan… no matter how close you think you are to winning!

King Ja goes to slap Brandis again but Brandis grabs his wrist to stop him just after he breaks through the shackles seconds before. Brandis then breaks the wrist of the King sending him crying and yelping in agony.

King Ja: Guards!!

Brandis then breaks free from the shackles on his feet and begins to fight off the shark monster guards again as he did before this time breaking there bones and limbs preventing them from grabbing there weapons to attack him a second time. Moments later all are rendered on to the floor in pain grunting in agony as Brandis walks up to the King stern and tough. The King tries to flee but Brandis takes one of the guards’ tridents and launches it through the knee of the King.

King Ja: AAAAAH!!!

Brandis: Can make this really easy or very hard… unless you tell me… How do I free her?

King Ja: HAHAHAHA!!! You think I will just tell you?! You think it’s that easy?! HAHAHA!!

Brandis begins to grow upset and grabs the king by his throat causing him to choke and stop his laughter, ready to break his neck but looks down and sees the cane glowing. So he takes the cane and destroys it on the wall next to himself and the king which breaks the stasis field of Ivory awaking her. Brandis runs to grab Ivory who comes back into conscious and out of Breath.

Brandis: Are you ok?

Ivory: I’m ok… guessing I owe you two now…

Brandis: Don’t worry about it…

Ivory then stands up on her feet and walks over to the king.

Ivory: King Ja, scum of the Atlantic… I had a feeling one day we would run into each other… mark my words it will not happen again.

Ivory goes to end the king’s life with a slug to the face, as he lies broken and helpless on the thrown room steps but is stopped by Brandis.

Brandis: Ivory… if you end his life… you are no better than what he was going to do to you… don’t do it…

Ivory then backs down.

Ivory: Then what do we do with these low life’s… I do not want anyone sub combing to the likes of them at all…

Brandis: I have an idea…

Brandis and Ivory take the guards and the king and freeze them in blocks of ice in the atrium with the other creatures leaving them frozen and as statues. Both them leave the castle and venture back to the surface to meet up with LD. But when they get to the surface they see no signs of the ship or LD.

Ivory: Where is he?

Brandis: I don’t know… I did tell him if I was not back soon to take off with the sword to the city…maybe he did…

Ivory: Great so we’re stranded?

Brandis: No… something’s not…right…

Brandis and Ivory gaze over to see several ships docked at the island and the stoned army with the white Stranger searching the ice on heading to the iced mountain where LD was venturing.