Ice to see you

[Illidan Stormrage]

Boisterous chatter and beer suds suffocated the surprisingly large tavern. Dwarves from all over the city it seemed had arrived at The Headless Troll to generously sample Grimbold's wildly famous ale. In any given direction, dwarves were jostling past each other, foaming steins held overhead, or sitting at round tables with comrades, chugging their drinks and laughing heartily. Waitresses balanced silver platters with large portions of steaming meat as they waded past their patrons.

Link sat on a stool, his back to the bar while he rested an elbow on it, a chilled stein in his other hand. He had first spent a few minutes in the tavern, but the weariness of the trip overtook him, and Grimbold showed him to his cosy home above. There he had slept peacefully and awoken re-energised. He didn't know how long he was asleep, but when he descended the stairs, The Headless Troll was still full of celebrating patrons.

Dwarfholm's alemaster was quite the celebrity, especially since he had returned after slaying a troupe of trolls and taming a rare coloured wolf. Judging by most peoples' reactions to Grimbold's claims, he wasn't a man who often put his money where his mouth was. The entire lively atmosphere was down to the excitement of Grimbold's returned ale, the amazing stories he brought back with him, and the general inebriation that resulted from them combined.

Link sipped at the ale. It had a strong bitter taste, but he found the ubiquitous malt flavour just enjoyable enough to keep drinking. He hadn't drunk much alcohol in his life; indeed, this was his first drink. But he was well aware of the effects of it, and made sure he took it slow. After he first sniffed his ale, he decided to take it very slow. Nonetheless, he was already feeling light headed. He spun about in his stool and plonked the stein on the bar.

Grimbold finished chuckling with several companions at the other side of the bar and strutted down to Link, taking the stein. "Need a top up, lad?" He filled the stein before Link could respond and he slammed it back onto the bar, foam bubbling down its silver contours. "What a night, eh? One to remember, mark my words!"

Shade sat by Link's feet, stoically looking around the tavern. Every now and then a drunk dwarf wandered over to the golden wolf, spoke to him like he was a pet dog, and tussled its head. Shade made to growl a few times, but Link set him straight. "You've got an act to uphold here. You wanted to be a wolf, you're a wolf. Act like it."

<A wolf rips out the throats of those that mock him,> Shade said.

"You're a domesticated wolf," Link said. "Everyone thinks so. So swallow your pride and do it. We'll be heading off soon anyway."

Shade lifted his snout towards the bar. <Of all the things I miss from being alive, I miss beer the most.>

"So! You're the one ol' Grimbold saved, eh?"

Link turned to face the bald blacksmith who welcomed them into Dwarfholm. He was minus his stained apron, but his face was still covered in soot marks. Even his braided beard was dotted with blackened patches. He lacked the thick leather gloves from earlier, but his hands looked harder and more leathery than anything he could slip over them.

He vaulted onto the vacant stool beside Link and stuck out a meaty paw, the other slamming an empty stein on the bar. "Name's Ramgar. Best smithy in all the Frozen Fields!"

Link met the handshake. Ramgar's grip was like a vice. "Link."

"So what brings someone like you out to this icy waste?" Ramgar said. He turned his attention to the bartender. "Oi, Grimbold! More ale!"

"Looking for something," Link said. "A temple atop a mountain." There wasn't much harm in telling people now; if Grimbold hadn't inadvertently let it slip yet, he would. Besides, most dwarves here were hammered. They wouldn't remember much the next day.

Grimbold refilled Ramgar's stein and he brought it desperately to his lips. Beer suds escaped his mouth and cascaded down his beard. He sighed happily and crashed the stein on the bar again. "Temple? What's so special about a temple? You know they have dragons up there, don't you? Not much for talking, that lot!"

"Yes, so I've heard," Link said. "So I guess everyone's pretty happy that Grimbold's back?"

"Happy?" Ramgar said incredulously. He suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh yes! Grimbold might be the biggest liar this side of a vegetarian dragon, but he makes the best damn piss in all of blasted existence!" He lifted his empty stein. "To Grimbold!" A large group of dwarves around them raised their mugs and cheered. Ramgar went to drink but quickly found out why the stein was so light. "Grimbold! More!"

"Steady on!" Grimbold said, refilling the stein. "You gotta make me a new blade in the morning! I won't have you making me some misshapen piece of crap because you've got a hangover!"

Ramgar laughed. "I don't get hangovers you daft fool! I'm the toughest there is!" He took a long swig of ale and looked back at Link, his eyes half lidded. "Now! What were we ..."

Ramgar fell right out of his seat, mouth wide open, ale spilled over the tavern floor. Laughter picked up instantly.

Link looked at Grimbold. "Is he all right?"

Grimbold chuckled. "Aye. He can hold his liquor, but even an ocean can only hold so much water. Enjoying yourself?"

"Not nearly as much as you seem to be," Link said.

"Can you blame me?" he replied. "I mean, look at me! Not only am I not dead, I'm a bloody hero!"

"It's all false though," Link said. "The only thing you can claim is your ale, which, let's face it, is probably the main reason why everyone loves you right now."

Grimbold inclined his head. "True, but it's still great to show those naysayers who thought all my tall tales were just stories! Even if those tall tales were stories." He laughed and took a swig of his own drink.

Link spied a large archway boarded up against the far wall. There were far more planks used than was necessary to seal the passage. "What's that over there?"

Grimbold shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. Some failed tunneling, I'd expect. Thanks to that, though, I got this place at a steal. Not many people wanting to buy a business slash home with a giant hole in the wall!"

"You were never interested in where it goes?"

"Why should I be? As long as the roof doesn't collapse, it can go where it wants to!"

Link noticed cold vapour wafting out between the boards. "We are underground, aren't we?"

Grimbold rolled his eyes. "What a daft question! Of course we are!"

"Then why is there cold air coming through your hole?"

Grimbold climbed onto the counter and peered at the boarded archway. "I ... that's strange. That's never happened before. We're hundreds of feet underground! What could possibly-"

Grimbold was cut off by a bestial roar. The entire tavern went quiet.

"What was that?" the tavern owner asked.

The roar grew louder, and faint blue light shone through the gaps of the wooden planks. The tavern floor shook, knocking unsecured steins crashing to the ground, ale forming pale gold slicks everywhere. Dwarves stood uneasily, some less steady on their feet than others, unsure of what to do.

"Is it an earthquake?" Link asked.

Grimbold rubbed at his beard. "Could be. Earthquakes don't normally roar though."

A freezing gale of cold wind blasted the wood panels into shards. The entire tavern screamed and ran for the exit. Ramgar still lay unconscious on the floor.

Shade stood up and arched his back. <Be wary, Link.>

"What's going on in my tavern?" Grimbold yelled.

Link jumped off his stool and armed himself. "Get back, Grimbold."

The roaring continued, louder and louder. Sharp implements scraped against rock. In the darkness, two yellow eyes peered out.

"Oh, Sapphiron's balls!" Grimbold shouted. "It's a-"

A dragon burst from the archway, its head and wings ripping apart the rock wall and expanding its entryway. It opened its tooth lined maw and a blast of ice cold wind sprayed forth.

"Get out, Grimbold!" Link yelled, rolling out of the way. The attack froze the bar and several stools in a solid chunk of ice. Grimbold scrambled to his feet and fled out the front door.

The dragon, scales the colour of ice, shimmered in the firelight of the tavern. Link hadn't had much experience with dragons other than Volvagia, but in comparison this one was much smaller. Also, it was more akin to an angry lizard with wings rather than a fire breathing serpent. And it breathed ice? That was new.

"How did a dragon get all the way down here?" Link asked.

<Let's focus on dealing with the threat,> Shade said. <We need to push the dragon back. The dwarves are not prepared to battle a dragon, nor did many of those who fled the tavern look like warriors.>

Link spun the Master Sword in his hand. "Yes, but how do we do that?"

The dragon roared and pounced. Link jumped backwards and raised his shield in time for razor sharp claws to glide over it. Not only was it agile, but it held a great deal of strength in its muscles.

After its leap, there was enough space to get between the dragon and the tunnel. Link ran around the beast, vaulting over upturned chairs and beer soaked tables, Shade in close pursuit. The dragon's paws crashed noisily behind him, obliterating the furniture. It spun about and followed Link, as if finding him an amusing distraction. It thrashed its tail about, destroying the bar in a shower of wooden splinters. Link felt the chill of its breath on his neck.

He dashed into the cavern, Shade beside him, and turned to face the dragon. The lumbering creature followed, looked over its shoulder, and a gale of ice wind shot forward. A frozen wall sealed the cavern, locking Link and Shade inside. The only light that entered the gloom was the pale fire light that managed to penetrate the ice.

<Smart enough to block our only exit,> Shade said. <That doesn't bode well.>

Link took a step backwards and almost slipped in something. He looked down at the corpse of a mountain goat, its white shaggy fur matted with blood. Link leapt over it so as to avoid falling over in it.

<That must be it,> Shade said, sniffing the dead goat. <The dragon must have chased this goat into a cave and it fell down here. It then heard the dwarves and decided they were more interesting.>

"Chased it into a cave?" Link said, keeping his eyes fixated on the slowly advancing dragon. "Do you think the dragon came from the mountain? Could the passage lead to the temple?"

Shade craned his neck upwards. <Yes, I believe so. But it looks like the way out is directly up, and you can't fly.>

Link looked to the ceiling. Blood splattered randomly high above them. The goat must have fallen a great distance and ricocheted off the tunnel.

"And I won't be able to use my Clawshots fast enough," Link said, noting the hungry glint in the dragon's eye. "But if I could ride the dragon out of here ..."

<And how do you intend to do that?> Shade asked, baring his teeth at the dragon. <You can't command it to go where you want.>

"No," Link said, struck by realisation. "But you can go wherever you want."

Shade looked at him with one red eye. <I don't answer to gravity, but that's only in my spirit form. The dragon cannot seem me in that state. I cannot fly, nor become a flying creature.>

"That doesn't matter. You should be able to shapeshift into me though, right?"

Shade stayed silent for a moment. <It would be uncomfortable. I don't think it is a wise idea.>

"What? Why?"

<Suffice to say I have chosen a skeletal form for a reason.>

Link looked up and then back to the advancing dragon, icy vapour rising from its mouth. "We don't have many options here. I can't fight it here; it's too cramped and there's the chance it'll get bored and go for the dwarves. We have to lead it back out of the mountain top, and this is the only way I can think of doing that."

Shade read Link's mind and immediately understood. <All right. Let it be on record that I dislike this idea.>

"Fine. Just do it."

Shade turned to ether and Link dashed behind a rock. The dragon reacted to the sudden movement, plodding forward and opening its misty throat.

"Hey!"

The dragon turned to see Link on the other side of the room. "Come and get me!"

The dragon redirected its attention, but then Link vanished.

"Up here!"

Above the beast, Link leaned against the tunnel wall. The dragon rose its magnificent wings and propelled itself upwards. Link, still hiding behind the boulder, rolled out and aimed a Clawshot. The chain fired and grasped onto the dragon's hind leg. Link hit the retractor and he raced towards his target, the chain clinking as it rolled back into place. He swung himself up onto its back and retrieved a second Clawshot, using both grips to snag the scales tightly.

Link looked up and saw himself reappear high above the tunnel, taunting the dragon. The beast roared and shot upwards, intent on capturing its elusive prey.

As Shade rematerialised again, leading the dragon ever higher, he said, <You best hope that it doesn't feel you on its back.>