The Frozen King Awakens (Phoenix City Chronicles)

It had been about twelve hours since the Sunset Arrow departed for the northern stronghold of Gerdheim, where our heroes knew they would face the battle of their lives. There was a tense anticipation in the air, and no one was quite sure what to expect when the fated moment finally arrived.

No one but Knuckles and Tal, who had felt the monster's power firsthand. Tal waited below deck in silent meditation, while Knuckles nervously paced the deck.



"He's bad, but he can be killed," the young warrior reminded himself, "He's just a man..."

Coming up from below decks she sees her love nerviously paceing and muttering reassurances to himself.

walking up behind him she attempts to still his paceing by wraping her arms around his torso

"Mine." she whispers happily.

Blushing and indeed stilling at this, Knuckles reached back with one of his strong arms and strokes it through Kaylea's vibrant red hair, "Thanks babe, I needed that."

Cellus padded quietly through the ship in search of Tal, when she found him, she moved to his side, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. She said nothing, knowing Tal would speak his mind when he was ready.



Nurse, on the other hand, was exploring the ship on her own, relishing her new found freedom. Having control of a body all her own was new and exciting, and she wanted to make the most of it.

As Nurse wandered the ship's interior, she eventually heard the sound of weights being lifted down the hall, leading her to the ship's gymnasium, where Burk was pumping some iron to get in shape for the big fight.



"Hey there," he grinned beneath the bar, "Come in for a warm-up or just passing by?"

Leaning in the doorway, Nurse quirked a mischevious grin at the larger grasslander, "Can't a girl just enjoy the show?" she said, looking Burk over with an apreciative eye.

"You sure are different than Cellus," the large man laughed, lifting another set to show off his ripped pecs and rock hard biceps.

Nurse purred in approval, stepping into the room, "I hope it's not a... bad different," she said, circling around Burk to take him in from all sides.

Sitting up, and clearly dripping with sweat from his workout, Burk smiled warmly, "Well I'm not Tal either, so I'd say we're a different set altogether."

"A set, hm?" Nurse said with a grin, leaning over the bar and reaching up to wipe the sweat from Burk's brow with a sultry smile.

"Um, er, that's I meant us as a couple," Burk faltered nervously, "A couple of buddies, yanno? Well, you know... what's the word... how the hell does Tal do it...?"

"Just buddies? That's too bad," Nurse said, that sultry smile still on her face, her hand travling down from Burk's brow to trace his jawline slowly. Pulling her hand away, she stood with an approving purr, "Too bad indeed," she said as she turned, strutting out the door with a seductive swing to her hips.

Wandering through to bowels of the ship she passes Nurse as the girl suductivly walks out of the gym.

'Wonder whats gotten into her. Last I saw, she was cowering under the... Wait, was the other one... Aw hell! This is just to damn confuseing.'

Continueing through the ship she stops in front of a door and smiles mischiviously 'Captains Quarters, eh? This could lead to some fun!'

With that she reaches out and trys the handle "Knock knock, any one home....?"

The Captain's quarters was about what Fox would have expected ...except tidier. Barring some notes and fairly worthless trinkets, most of the good stuff was nowhere to be found.

"Well, this was a waste of time..." she says as she rifles through the notes on the captains desk "No log, no sentimantals..." she pouts

"Well guess I'd better go supprise him with my new trick!" she smiles mischiviously leaving the room in an only slightly less organized condition than it was

as she nears the deck she becomes invisable and continues up the stairs. sneaking up behind the captain she does one of the most ridiculus things imaginable...

Reaching up around the front of his head she cups her hands over his eyes and wispers suductivly in his ear "Gueeeeess whooooooo?"

"I'm gonna go with Fox," Zeaken sighed, "And I'm also gonna guess you were just in my quarters sneaking about. Couldn't resist, could you?"

Damn, he was good! Or psychic?

"Aw, how'd ya guess?" she mock pouts rempving her hands and steping around as she fades back into view "Am I really that predictable?"

"Once a thief...," Zeaken smirked, leaving the rest open to interpretation.

"Does that mean that we can play 'cops and robbers'? Oh goodie, I'll go get the handcuffs!" she says enthusiastically "I've been a baaad girl." she giggles

"Maybe another time," Zeaken did his best at a winning smile, but the sadness hung in his eyes, "I lost a good friend today."

For the second time since their meeting she seems to protray honest emotion "I'm sorry to hear that..." she says sadly clutching her chest and a look that all mourners would know "I truely am..."

"Yeah, me too," he genuinely smiled, seeming to cheer up a bit, "Why don't you come by my quarters in about an hour and we'll have a toast to the old cur."

"I'd like that..." she says forelornly still obviously pained by something

"I'll see you in about an hour then" she says absently before walking back below deck

As she leaves his sight she shadow jumps back to her room quickly devolving into a blithering puddle of flesh...

'Big brother.... I miss you....'

Listening as the rest of the group and the remaining shipmates aboard walked around doing their duties or training for whats to come, Cerys realizing he lost a new friend from the ship, just walked along the engine room where he first met Brog Ironfist.

'This was the spot he and i sat here talkling about almost anything we could think of, and now all thats left is just the hum of the engine.'

As he Begins walking through the rest of the ship that day he walks past most of the crew heading to the deck of the ship, just out to get a breath of air, and relax some. Now having had several people that he called friends dying.

'This is one person we hope to defeat, we all must become stronger than what we were when we met up with him at the beginning... we must become stronger to defend our friends.'

As if on cue to that, one of the yeomen suddenly shouted, "Ho! We're in sight of the fortress, Cap'n!"

Anyone coming up to the deck to see what the fuss was about would have been greeted by a sudden chill in the blizzard about them, but down below was a sight more horrifying still...



The stronghold was vast, and every bit as foreboding as its nickname The Fortress City implied. Getting to Feusang, it seemed, would take brains as well as brawn.