Sam and Tyler exchanged uneasy glances as they left Carter and Cliff behind to engage the oncoming ice demons, the Opponent's bounty hunters. The men had argued over who would protect Marisol, trapped within her enchanted pendant, from falling into the wrong hands. In the end, the decision came down to numbers. Carter and Cliff together stood the best chance against the ice demons, while Sam and Tyler had a better chance of eluding capture while protecting Marisol. With solemn nods, Sam and Tyler turned deeper into the shifting maze, leaving their friends to face the demons alone. The walls seemed to twist and turn of their own accord, as if trying to herd Sam and Tyler in the wrong direction. Every step had to be taken with deliberation and care.
Tyler clasped the pendant containing Marisol. "We'll get you out," he promised grimly. "Just have to figure our way through this crazy maze first."
Sam stumbled over a jagged rise in the ice. "Easier said than done," he muttered. "Who knows what else is waiting for us in here."
Together they pressed on, determined to evade capture and free their Faerie. Behind them, the sounds of battle grew faint as Carter and Cliff engaged the ice demons. The distant echoes of cracking ice and clashing weapons faded, Soon even the tremor of impacts shaking the frozen floor went silent, leaving Sam and Tyler to venture forward alone into the maze.
They followed a path deep into the twisting maze where its crystal walls seemed to come alive, constantly shifting and reforming in disorienting patterns. Passages they had sworn led forward now branched off at impossible angles while corridors they had passed minutes before now loomed ahead. Sam stumbled into yet another dead end, the glittering facets of an ice wall mocking him with reflections of possible paths that did not exist.
Tyler threw up his hands in frustration. "We're going in circles! This whole maze is designed to confuse and trap anyone inside."
Sam hardened himself against the illusions, scanning the translucent walls for any sign of the Glacial Star. Then he spotted it, a section of the wall marked with a carving that looked like a star. As Sam and Tyler cautiously approached, the walls melted away to reveal more of the maze beyond. What they saw was far from welcoming. A pack of fur-covered monstrosities sniffed the air, snarling as their hungry gazes turned towards the men. Their eyes glinted yellow in the frozen light, their bodies crouched low as jaws opened to reveal rows of jagged teeth. Paws the size of dinner plates dug furrows in the slick floor as the creatures edged forward. They cut off all avenues of escape except the one corridor the Sam and Tyler had just entered. Both men slowly backed up a step, muscles tense, ready to sprint at the first sign of attack. The creatures inched forward in response, eager but cautious, smelling blood and hungering for fresh prey. One giant beast, clearly the leader, emitted a low moan that rippled through the pack, inciting them to slowly spread out in a half circle, herding Sam and Tyler further into the maze.
Sam looked to his friend, meeting his gaze with determination. Without another thought, Sam and Tyler bolted forward, dodging between two of the lurking, wolf like beasts. Sam could hear the pack snarling behind them as the canines gave chase, pounding after them on all fours. They sprinted down the twisting corridor, skidding around corners and leaping over jagged formations of ice as the sounds of pursuit grew ever closer. Sam risked a glance behind him and saw three of the largest beasts gaining rapidly, jaws snapping at the air mere inches from his heels. A dead end up ahead threatened to end their flight, but Tyler spotted a side passage, barely more than a crack in the ice. They dove through, scrambling over each other in their haste to escape the monstrosities pursuing them. Sam slammed his palm against a section of the wall, causing a sheet of ice to slide down and block the passage just as the creatures reached it, snarling and slamming against the barrier in furious hunger. For now they were safe, but the ice wall would not hold long against the rage of the beasts. Sam and Tyler stumbled through the narrow passage, listening to the enraged howls of the creatures trapped on the other side. They had escaped for the moment, but deep within the labyrinth, danger was never far behind. The ice wall shuddered from the impact of the hounds slamming against it. Giant cracks began spreading across the thick sheet of ice as the beasts threw themselves at the barrier again and again in a frenzy.
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"That won't hold for long," said Tyler, staring at the weakening wall with alarm.
Sam nodded. "We need to keep moving. Hopefully we can find a more secure hiding spot before they break through." The two of them took off running again, stumbling blindly down the winding passage. The ice wall groaned and creaked behind them. As they rounded a corner, there was an explosive crash and the sound of collapsing ice. The eerie howls of pursuing hounds echoed down the passage. Sam and Tyler broke into a desperate sprint. The narrow passage seemed to go on forever with no openings or exits in sight. The snarls and pounding paws of the ice hounds drew nearer, causing chunks of ice to flake off the walls. Suddenly, the passage opened up into a larger cavern. Sam and Tyler dashed across the open space toward a tunnel on the far side. Before they could reach it, two massive ice hounds bounded into the cavern, quickly cutting off their escape. The monsters opened their jaws and let out bone-chilling howls as more poured into the cavern behind them, enclosing Sam and Tyler on all sides. The ice hounds surged, fangs gleaming as the hunt resumed. When they charged, Sam and Tyler turned and fled down the only remaining path. It crossed the open cavern toward the tunnel. They sprinted as quickly as they could, hearing the beasts closing in behind them. Just as the hounds' jaws snapped at their heels, Sam and Tyler dove into the tunnel ahead of them.
The ground shook and disappeared beneath their feet, they found themselves falling into a gaping pit. Sam and Tyler landed hard in a pile of bones at the bottom of the trap. Above, the ice hounds snarled in frustration, unable to follow them. Sam gingerly lifted his head, thankful he was still alive. "That was a close one," he said. Tyler nodded, taking in their grim surroundings. Bones littered the bottom of the pit, remnants of those who had fallen into this trap before them. Sharp spikes coated the floors, ready to impale anyone unfortunate enough to land there. The pit was at least 20 feet deep, carved perfectly cylindrical out of the ice. The walls of the pit were completely smooth and slick, offering no handholds for Sam and Tyler to climb. Any imperfections in the ice had been meticulously cut away, leaving a sheer vertical surface that reflected their hopeless expressions. Sharp ice spears jutted out from the floor at uneven intervals, the points dulled and stained brown from the blood of past victims. Broken and splintered bones littered the bottom of the pit. Skulls, femurs, ribcages, and more, some of the bones had been there so long they were frozen into the icy floor.
Sam and Tyler tentatively picked their way through the bones, carefully avoiding impaling themselves on the serrated ice spears. They searched desperately for some handhold, crack, or nick in the pit walls that could provide a way to climb out, but the sides remained slick and featureless. Above, the howls of the hounds echoed in the tunnels.
They were running out of options. The pit seemed designed to make escape impossible, leaving them at the mercy of those who had set the trap. They began scanning the bones at the bottom of the pit, hoping to find a tool or weapon that could help, but it was clear the victims had died defenseless.
"Looks like we triggered a pressure plate that dropped a trapdoor," said Tyler. Sam groaned as he stood up, bones crunching underneath his feet. "Well, at least we're alive. Now we just need to figure a way out of here before those hounds find a way in."
Sam and Tyler scoured the icy walls for any possibility of escape, and then Sam noticed a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. He froze, straining to see into the far side of the trap.
"Tyler..." he said slowly. "I think there's something else down here with us."
Tyler followed Sam's gaze and saw it too - a dark shape shifting slightly behind a cluster of bones. They both held their breath, watching intently as the shape moved again, confirming it was indeed a living creature trapped along with them.
It watched Sam and Tyler intently. They could only make out vague details, two short stubby legs, thick trunk-like arms that hung almost to the ground, and a lumpish body hunched over as it moved. Its skin seemed to blend into the ice walls, almost camouflaging it. The creature slowly lifted its misshapen head. Two darkened eyes peered out from within deep sockets. For a moment there was absolute stillness as predator and prey stared each other down, separated by maybe, 20 feet of bones and ice. Then the creature let out an earsplitting shriek and charged straight for Sam and Tyler, claw-tipped hands outstretched.