Balto replied, “it just hasn’t been opened in ages. Whatever’s in here is making a stink. Another writing on the door said this is about fifty years old, and by the looks of things, it’s been buried under the snow for a while.”

The smoke cleared, and Balto peered in, seeing nothing in the darkness. “Let’s go, Jenna,” he said, stepping forward. But then, a sound came to their ears, a strange, deep growling noise. They both stopped dead, listening to the sound. It grew louder, and Balto stepped aside from the door. “Stand back,” he said, and Jenna backed up a few steps. “I’m going to try to find something that talks about this,” Balto said, looking around to the right of the door. The noise got louder, and Jenna started to become very nervous. Balto finally found writing etched into the rock, and began to read it out loud quickly. “The death sentence of the old world lies here. That it be only the master who may control it, so shall it curse any other who tries…” Balto straightened up and turned around. Although Jenna was a few steps away from it, the door was still facing her directly. The noise coming from inside built up suddenly. “NOOOO!” Balto screamed, rolling to his left and coming up on his feet, between Jenna and the door. He put the virus arms in front of himself as the sound, now a throaty roar, rushed toward the entrance from inside. Fire suddenly appeared all around Balto, and he cried out. Jenna was terrified for a moment, thinking that Balto was being burned alive, but she saw that he was holding the flames away with the virus arms. She went around to the right, and saw that there were not actually flames coming out of the door. Instead, there was a flood of a green vapor-like substance pouring out, which turned to flame right before it came in contact with the virus arms. Now she realized; what was coming from the door was a torrent of leprosy bacilli, and Balto was destroying them as they came, wrestling with the stream that was obviously intended to kill intruders. Balto rallied his power and, with a mighty yell, shoved the virus arms into the stream, sending flames through the door and down the passage, burning the bacilli faster than they were produced. After a certain point, there was an explosion of stone, and a flaming white shape flew shrieking from the door, landing in the snow behind the pair. The two of them turned around and approached it cautiously. Whatever is was, it looked like a mass of rotten white flesh in the shape of a six-legged creature. It was so white it was almost difficult to see against the snow, as it lay there, unmoving. “I guess that’s the gate guard,” Balto said. The creature was still breathing, though weakly, small flames still burning on its body. It raised its head suddenly, turning toward the pair. It hissed loudly, then opened its mouth and sprayed a liquid mass of leprosy bacilli onto Jenna’s face. She cried out, staggering backwards, and lowered her head, pawing at her face desperately, trying to remove the fluid. “Balto!” she shouted. He was already there, and pulled her paw away from her face. “Hold still, Jenna!” he said, touching the virus arms’ tongues to Jenna’s face and quickly vaporizing the bacilli. He could tell it was all gone; she was in no danger of infection. “Are you alright?” he gasped urgently. “I’m fine,” she replied. Balto’s face filled with fury, and he turned around, grabbing the creature’s neck and punching the other virus arm clean through its head. It died instantly, flopping down on the snow after Balto removed the arm. He turned to face Jenna again. “Now we can go in,” he said, more calmly. “Woo hoo,” Jenna said, and Balto chuckled. They went in, going down a dark stone corridor, past the spot where the sentinel had been hiding. Their path turned left, then right at that spot, then widened. “Stick close,” Balto said quietly. Jenna came up very close beside him. “Definitely no problem there,” she replied.