For eons, the people of Crisium spun tales of a subterranean continent called Frigoria, located deep beneath the perilous Ice-Cap Mountains central to the continent. Over centuries, many have explored the icy region, only to turn up empty-handed. As...
اوووه! هذه الصورة لا تتبع إرشادات المحتوى الخاصة بنا. لمتابعة النشر، يرجى إزالتها أو تحميل صورة أخرى.
For eons, the people of Crisium spun tales of a subterranean continent called Frigoria, located deep beneath the perilous Ice-Cap Mountains central to the continent. Over centuries, many have explored the icy region, only to turn up empty-handed. As time passed, many reduced the tale to nothing but a figment of a rambling madman's imagination. Little did they know that Frigoria actually existed!
Chapter 1
Place: Northern Frigoria
Time: Somewhere in the future
"Boss says let's call it a day," Sam shouted down at me.
Determined I was onto something, I pleaded for a little more time. "Five minutes more, and I'll be up. Promise!"
I heard him acknowledge my request, and a few seconds later knew by his slight cough that he was still there. Sam! What a great guy! I just had to say the word and he was always willing to accompany me in overtime hours, even through the most perilous of excavations, until I was sure it was time to call it a day.
Today, I was certain I was on to something. The mineral detector had broken, and that always happened whenever it came into proximity to an unusually large amount of either a precious gemstone or some other mineral deposit. I couldn't help but imagine the consequences of making such a discovery. It would mean unimaginable profits for not only our mining company but for Northern Frigoria as a whole. For one, it was sure to foster better trade relations with the new Southern Frigoria lands, especially were we to discover a valuable mineral they lacked or were in short supply of.
My thoughts were interrupted by an unusual sound. Had something cracked? I lay the pick aside and using a trowel, I began scraping the dirt away. Almost five minutes later, I uncovered a thick pane of glass. "I knew it, Sam. I knew it! You'd never believe it, but I've found something," I called up at Sam, elated.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Some type of glass," I said, dusting the dirt away. A minute later, I froze to see the inside of something that appeared to be a massive bio-dome. How long has this been hidden here?
"Glass?" Sam asked again.
My breath hitched as I swore something moved beneath the dome. Peering within my heart raced to see a creature unlike any I'd ever seen before. A tail-like part of its body protruded from the shadows into the tiny flicker of light which descended through the huge gap we'd dug. "Oh. My. Goodness! There's something here," I said, and soon regretted the outburst, for the creature, let out a shrill cry, and appeared to grow panicky, as it flared its multiple limbs or tails violently about. I tried to slow my breathing which began coming in ragged breaths.
"What's that sound?" Sam asked. "Get up here now, Jen?"
Crack, Crack! Suddenly, a huge crack formed in the glass at the lower right corner, and moments later the ground began to shake. I grabbed onto the rope and shouted up to Sam. "I'm coming up! I think the ground's caving in!"
