Heirs of Planet Life 3 - The Battle of Gods

XV - Ice Monster

Once inside the maze, the players would have to overcome numerous risks, face, or avoid obstacles, besides entering a cybernetic universe that, although fantastic, was far more dangerous than they could imagine.

Mirov's computer engineers had done a wonderful job on the creation of that ambience. The two commanders would discover the traps that awaited them in the tangled path of various lights, virtual worlds that bordered on reality and choices that could be fatal. The holograms showed the viewers what was happening inside the virtual world that Merko and Kirubi had just penetrated. The final game had begun.

The first to face the challenge was Merko. Measuring the ground on which he stepped, he penetrated the passageway that formed in front of him. He walked cautiously in an environment that was, suddenly, surrounded by ice. He could see the snow-covered trees and the white mountains on the horizon. The cold wind blew on his skin and swayed the branches of the dry trees.

He suddenly felt something approaching. Abruptly, a soldier emerged from behind one of the woody logs and shot him. The captain turned aside at the last instant and the shot hit him in the neck, leaving a small scratch wound. He threw himself into the slippery floor to position himself and see his aggressor. With both hands holding the pistol, already in position, he fired only one time, hitting the center of the enemy's forehead. Merko managed to eliminate him and the image of the military man disappeared.

The captain put his hand over his neck and saw that it was nothing serious, but even so he used a healing cream, which he removed from a compartment that opened in his suit. Attentive, he continued to walk carefully so as not to slip on the almost vitreous surface, until two more soldiers appeared, this time grabbing him and preparing for body fight. He intertwined to the military, kicking the first one and punching the other, who retaliated by hitting his face, cutting his lips. Merko spat the blood on the white snow and the cold wind blew on his skin, rapidly coagulating the red of his face. The captain pulled the arm of one of the men, who approached to strike him, and threw him over his own torso, hurling the man who had virtually disappeared when he was nullified. The other one got up and jumped on the captain, holding his arm, and threw him a couple of feet away. Then, he drew a sword from a sheath on his back and prepared himself to throw a blow, when Merko rolled on the ground and picked up his fallen sword. With the blade raised, the captain defended himself from a frontal hit, turning it from one side to another, cutting the enemy in two at the waist line. That one wouldn't bring him any more trouble.

But Merko wasn't alone yet. Another soldier materialized on the ground and hurled himself toward the captain who, with a single blow, cut out his head with his sharp blade.

As he took a deep breath to recover his strength, the captain saw a rock rising from the ground. It began to transform, uniting to the ice, until it became a great monster. The creature showed its pointed teeth as if they were stalactites, walking toward the captain.

It was a white giant, with the aspect of a hungry bear, roaring fiercely to destroy whatever came its way. The sharp claws came out of its thick fingers, and the enormous head was approaching, creating a menacing shadow to cover the captain who looked like a simple prey, ready to be slaughtered.

The glacial monster, with a movement of its paw, hit Merko, moving its limb from right to left, throwing him at a great distance, making him crash into a rock and faint. Then, the creature continued to go forward, ready to trample him.

When the being lifted its leg to finish its prey once and for all, Merko opened his eyes and, in a rush of necessity, rolled across the cold ground, getting rid of the danger at the last moment. He took his sword and struck it with a blow, hitting its back, but it didn't seem to have any effect. It continued to attack the captain, who no longer knew how to defeat it.