Blood Is Thicker Than Ice

Ooc: Welcome POI clan members. After the event’s of Question to the Waterfall (reading that battle is recommended so you understand better), a demon is on the verge on being set free again, and his plans are sending ripples of power throughout the world, calling to those sensitive to them, your characters. Basically we will all meet in the ruins of Cyno’s old house, and I want someone, preferably Graceful since she can write like no other, to take an old pendant from inside a drawer in one of the upper floors, since it will be needed later on. Posting order does not matter, but if a person doesn’t post within four days I will pm them and ask them to reply, if they don’t reply within a day we skip them.

Members
Angel- Cyno
Ranarath- Sora
Jayolorin- Blaze
Link_XI- Link XI
DarkZeroHyrule- Sylva
Guardian Dragon- Janeen
Rising Light- Kaj

Bic:

The ice elf tossed and turned in his bed, beads of sweat running down his forehead despite the sub-zero temperature of the room. The wind rattled through the empty desolate house, knocking a book from its stand, causing it to fall to the floor. At the sound Cyno awoke, his weapon in hand. Wiping his sweaty brow, the man looked left and right for what had made the disturbance, pulling his blanket over him as his eyes began to close. The elf had not been able to sleep very well the past few nights, visions of a sinister demon and his beloved twin sister had filled his mind. Roughly scratching himself behind his pointed ear, Cyno decided to try again to get some sleep again.

Ever since that trip to the waterfall caves, this land has not been the same… the elf thought to himself, laying his head down on the pillow. Soon enough he was asleep again, and for a brief moment before the visions set in Cyno smiled.

~

Under a bed of ice only a few miles away from Cyno himself, a demon smiled to himself. Closing its eyes, it prepared to once again open the small crack above it with as much power as it had left. After a few moments the tiny needle sized crack far above it moved ever so slightly.

I must remember to thank your brother, Fahria when I am free once more, he has been a great help to me… The demon thought to himself.

Cyno is no fool Icil, he will stop you again, and this time you don’t have me enhancing your powers… a woman’s voice spoke inside the demon’s head.

You give him too much credit dear ancestor, his victory over me was only because I was foolhardy in thinking I would beat him. I do not intend to make that same mistake twice…

Whether or not you do, he will be victorious… I have made sure of this…

How could you do that? You are now nothing more than a feeble spirit, tethered to me for all eternity when I took your body…

I still retain a small portion of my own power, something which you cannot touch. Every time you have focused to open that hole up, I send out a wave of energy, and by now the people who are sensitive to it will have assembled. Your victory is not so certain now, is it demon?

The demon shook his head, batting the spirit into his subconscious mind, silencing her for a while.

Let them come, I will slay all who would stand in my way…

~

Once again Cyno awoke, his head hurting immensely. In his pain the elf kicked out, knocking over a small table encrusted with ice. The small piece of furniture shattered as it hit the floor, sending shards of wood and ice everywhere. Grunting at his misfortune, Cyno waved his hand in a small circle, making the table reform.

“Interesting technique.”

OoC: Okay, I'm here.

BiC:

It was a lake, completely frozen over by the winter that never left the land. The surface was smooth, almost unnatural, save for one minute crack that appeared in the middle. However, despite the calmness that the lake portrayed, demonic power emanated from it. Something was down there.

The hunter’s eyes opened only halfway as she woke up. Her head was throbbing. She peered around the room, which was still dark. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, it was early morning. Sora was not a morning person. She rolled over onto her back and glared at the ceiling. This is the third night I’ve had these stupid headaches, the female complained, And the same dream about that lake. She wanted to go back to sleep but knew that the lake would only come to her dreams again. “I have my own problems and don’t need anymore!” the half-breed shouted at the ceiling.

“Hey! Shut up over there!” and man yelled from the room to the right of her’s. Sora then heard the man say something incoherent and a woman giggle. At that point, her hand groped around the night-stand next to her bed, grabbed some matches, and lit a candle. The white candle was almost finished but would last long enough for the Raikan to get it together. The room she was staying in was a simple one with a bed, night-stand, a mirror, and right below that was a small washpan filled with water and a small towel. She flipped off the soft blanket and walked over to the washpan. Sora would’ve dearly liked to take a shower but at least this was something. The female splashed her face, dried it, and walked over the single window. Though she could barely see through the darkness, the hunter knew that the landscape hadn’t changed. In a land of perpetual winter, there was always snow. But she was looking for something in particular. If she wanted to get rid of the dreams and headaches, the only way would be to find out what was causing them in the first place.

“That way,” she pointed to the northeast. That’s where the lake was.

Crunch, crunch. The snow sounded every time Sora took a step but wasn’t too loud. She had only been traveling for a half-hour, the town she had stayed at was now just a shadow of buildings. Out here, the land was mainly flat with a few trees scattered here and there. It was cold but not a bitter cold, it was something that the hunter could handle with ease. Besides her regular clothing, she had purchased a white cloak to give her added warmth. It was now wrapped around her body, giving the appearance that there was a head floating along in the plains.

Sora sighed heavily, she would’ve given anything to have some companionship. While she enjoyed the beauty that winter could bring, it also silenced most of the animals. If any did come out it would be around the middle of the day when it was warmest. It was morning now. Despite the blanket of grey clouds that covered the sky, she could tell the sun had risen. Though, it was still early. Too early to be traveling, she muttered to herself. The tracks she had left, the only footprints in the snow, were slowing being covered by the light snowfall. She sighed again.

Finally, after a few more hours of walking, the hunter overlooked the lake that had appeared in her dreams. True to the dream, it was perfectly smooth. From the hill she was standing on, Sora couldn’t see the small crack that scuffed the surface. Well, I’m here. Now what? the female asked. Looking around, she spotted a ruined house not to far from the lake. At least, the hunter could rest there until something happened.

The house was made of wood and in disrepair. Sora stepped inside, almost slipping on the ice that covered the floor. From the entryway, she could see stairs going to the second floor and what looked to be a family room. Snow gently fell into the room through a hole in the wall. A sad and melancholy silence pervaded this place. As much as it crept her out, the half-breed continued into the house and went up the stairs. There were only three rooms up here, two on one side and one on the other. The single room had its door shut but the first room on the other side was slightly ajar while the one at the end was completely open. Not wanting to disturb the quietness of the house, Sora tip-toed over to the open room. It was a bedroom, that much was obvious. However, it looked like a battle raged in it. Blankets from the bed were everywhere with some torn, a chair was overturned, and the dresser had it’s drawers strewn around. The hunter slowly entered the room, curious of what had happened. Then, in one of the drawers, a glint caught her eye. She saw that it was a pendant. The pendant was rounded and made of a light blue, almost transparent, material. There was script on the medallion but it was a language that she didn’t know.

Then, she heard a groan and a crash. Quickly pocketing the pendant, she hurried over to the other room with the opened door. Peeking in through the slightly open door, the females realized that someone actually lived in this house. He was a young man, probably around her age, with dark blue hair. Noting his ears, Sora figured that he was an elf. There was a disgruntled look on his face, probably because of the shattered table that was laying by his feet. Waving his hand in the air, the broken table reformed itself into a perfect condition. Unable to contain her intrigue, she commented, “Interesting technique.”

The elf leaped out of bed, an icy dagger poised in his hand. “Who’s there?” he asked.

Crap, Sora thought. She pushed the door open, “Sorry, I didn’t realize anyone still lived here.”

The wariness only stayed for a split second more, then, the elf had a grin on his face. “You just startled me. So, what’s a beautiful woman like yourself doing here?”

The hunter rolled her eyes, Oh brother. He seemed like a nice person, at least, and one that was waiting for an answer. The female thought for a second, What do I tell him? "Hello. I’m Sora and I’ve been receiving telepathic visions of the lake nearby." Right. “I was just traveling when I spotted your house. I thought I could maybe rest here for a bit,” she lied.

OoC: I did post before, but it was lost because I had to do something at the time, and my foolish sibling got out of it. My fault for not saving it to word.

BiC:

Blaze leapt joyfully into the air, landing gracefully back upon the frozen water. She beamed as her body seemed to dance across the ice, never unwavering.

Blaze had found a lake. It was quite possibly the biggest lake she had ever seen, and yet here she was, skating blissfully upon the frozen mass of water. She had found it while wandering from a large battle earlier, one that involved a trip to another dimension and a particularly grumpy "cold water golem" (not that she knew much about these cold water golems...) Little did she know about the danger she could bring about herself by skating upon this ice.

Blaze closed her eyes for barely a second, a sign of obvious enjoyment, and, due to her momentary lapse of joy, tripped and fell flat upon her face. A cold, stinging sensation caused by the frost ruined her good mood instantly, and within a second she was upright on the ice again, her face completely the opposite of the emotions expressed upon it before.

The ice sorceress turned to see the cause of her stumble- a crack in the ice. She observed it quietly and decided that it was probably time to get off the ice before the crack widened and shattered the whole lake, or something. She swiftly skated across to the opposite side of the lake she was on. Blaze reached into her pocket and pulled out a white beanie and pulled it over her head, then trudged forward.

It wasn't long before a structure came into view, as Blaze moved closer it appeared to be a mansion of sorts; though it was completely covered in ice. Blaze broke into a jog, eager to get closer to this icy palace. As she neared it she noticed several aspects of the house she had not picked up before- it was old, and looked like it was in need for repair. Blaze seriously doubted that anyone in their right mind could live there, but something drew her to it. She had no idea what it was, but before she knew it she was walking through the doorway and into the house.

It was practically the same as the outside as it was for the inside, which, Blaze thought, goes to show that judging a book by its cover often does come out with the thoughts of the reader. Blaze almost skidded down a hallway covered in ice and heard voices. The girl stopped n midstep and listened in, but all she could hear was muffled, and it sounded like it was coming behind the door directly in front of her.

Blaze knocked on the door shyly. "Hello? Anyone ho-"

She jumped back with a small shriek as an elf with long blue hair looked out from behind the door. "Who are you?"

"Erm...I’m blaze, but its obvious you’re busy so I’ll just go...now..."

The man seemed to hesitate for a moment. Blaze noticed his ears were rather pointy, and his facial features were very refined. He was an elf.

"No....you can come in. Just be careful not to break any more furniture...not that it matters...."

Blaze scurried inside the room, looking rather afraid.

The room was not unlike the rest of the house, it was covered in ice, and it looked kind of untidy. As blaze crept into the room she saw a girl standing next to the doorway. She looked up and down Blaze, clearly checking to see her condition.

"She seems pretty strong for her age..."

The elf nodded, and turned to face Blaze. "What kind of skills do you have, Blaze?"

Blaze shrugged and pointed to the ceiling. In a split second a bolt erupted from Blazes pointing finger and hit the ceiling. It was immediately covered in ice, much like the rest of the room. The elf smirked.

"An Ice mage...with Blaze for a name? Interesting".

Blaze blushed furiously but the other girl retaliated at the elf.

"Cyno? She's only a teenager, don't give her that".

The elf Cyno sighed" I’m sorry Blaze. As you probably know, I’m Cyno. How it going?"

Blaze mustered up the courage to finally say 'I’m good, thankyou"

OoC: I have done.

BiC:

“What in the unholy name of Rhanna am I doing here?” The domensian asked himself again. He had bee in this desolate wasteland of snow for two hours now and still had found nothing. The wolf has transported him here, telling him only that he had to find something. What this something was was still a mystery, the domensian thought o himself as he trudged through he thick snow. He had always preferred heat to cold, as all domensians did, and would much rather be in a scorching desert than a frozen wasteland.

What does the wolf think he’s doing sending me here? I very much doubt that Eid will be hiding in a deserted place like this; he’s a domensian after all. Furious thoughts ran through his mind and he cursed under his breath as freezing cold snow ran like a river into his crimson boot after he stepped in a rather hollow patch of the stuff littered on the ground. He carried on walking never the less; each step brought a fresh sensation of bitter coldness onto his foot.

After another half hour of walking Link XI came upon a great frozen lake. This mass of frozen water seemed to be endless as he looked out over the vast natural structure. Like a great glass mirror on a blanket of white fabric the ice gleamed under the faint suns rays and was a perfectly flat and smooth surface, save for a minute crack near the centre.

The domensian walked up to it slowly and tapped the surface with the point of his Bloodsaber. It let of an echo through the frozen tides as if it were made of a thing glass and as he sound reached Link XI’s ear a memory suddenly came back into his mind.

He was six. Back when he was an only child. He wore a small grey tunic, similar to the one he wore now, and was skating happily with a few other children on a small frozen pond. The group played happily until there was a sudden change of pace and a sudden sense of fear in the air. Or rather the water as the young Kinos plunged into the icy water and a great panic rose inside his chest.

A crunching sound brought the domensian back into the present. He looked down to see that in the shock of his memory he had lost the grip on his sword that had fallen into the snow. As he picked up the blade by it’s hilt he wondered what had just happened. He had very few memories of his life before the age of ten; mostly they were just emotions, so why had this suddenly happened? He looked out onto the vast lake once more and to his surprise a shiver went down his spine.

The lake no longer looked like a great glass mirror but a fragile piece of glass that could break with the lightest touch. Suddenly, thanks to the memory, he had developed a fear of icy water. Looking around he saw that there was no crossing over the frozen liquid and decided to walk around it.

Another ten minutes passed before he sighted a house. It was an old abandoned house, or to put in more accurately a mansion, covered mostly in ice. Phew thought the warrior as he quickened his pace towards the structure, At least I see no fear in this house. I must only be cautionary towards frozen rivers and lakes.

Feeling slightly more relaxed he continued his pace and in another few minutes he stood at the front doors to the house. Seeing them open he silently stepped through and looked around. The inside seemed to have a lot of ice in it too and Link XI thanked Lefhnat that none of it brought him any fear. As he crept in he heard voices come from the room at the end of the hallway. Stopping with caution he turned his attention to the door next to it that was slightly ajar he started towards it.

Inside he found a room covered vastly with books of all natures. Many were frozen in place at looked as if they would never thaw and many were just thrown about on the floor. As he scanned the room he saw that to the corner lay a set of stairs. Finding no interest in the books he followed the steps, that thankfully didn’t sound, and soon the domensian found himself in a small, green room. Nothing much was in this room but as Link XI walked to the far wall he heard the voices again and through a crack in the floor, saw that he was directly above the ones talking.

The voices were still muffled and after a quick scan of the room a plan formed in the domensian’s mind. He edged towards an open window and ripped the curtains from their places. He tied them together, tied an end to a hook sticking out from the wall and the other around his waist. When the knots were secure he climbed out of the window and slowly lowered himself down. Soon he was hanging but the material next to the window below and through that window could hear all the things being said.

He heard mentions of introductions and slowly learned that there were two females in the room named Blaze and Sora and a male ice elf by the name of Cyno. He continued to hang and listen to what was being said, hoping to find some clue as to why he was here and what treasures were lying inside the house waiting for a certain domensian to pick them up.

OoC: Sorry for the long wait. Many things to cath up on.

BiC: The half angel awoke with a startled look on her face. She had just fallen asleep after taking care of some demons that plagued a small village southeast of her resting spot. She had attempted to sleep in a cave with a fire that made everything glow. She was still a little cold even though the fire kept her going. Sylva stared at the fire for a while and went back to sleep.

Snow surrounded the scene. A lake was frozen, showing her it was winter there. A small crack had been created in the middle of the lake and something was rising slowly...

She woke up in another fright. The frozen lake dream, as she called it, had bee torturing her lately, even in her waking moments. She almost crashed once from this very dream. Sylva had been putting off this dream for a while, but now, she seemed to have no choice bu to find out where the lake was located. She had had enough of this and wanted it to end. The fire was out and she left the safety of the cave to venture into the cold of the snowy fields.

The angel had reason to believe that something here had been linked to the Seasons, but now she abandoned the idea. All she wanted was for this dream to end now. As she flew across the sky, the dream hit her again, but she struggled against it as she reached the site of the frozen lake. It was a flat land with white from a bird's eye view. The lake seemed like a mirror to her since it was completely frozen. The angel landed nearby as she had spotted a ruined house. It was covered in ice, but she hoped to find something there, as ruins always gave her a clue.

The door to this frozen house was open, so she walked in. The place was a wreck as she saw some stairs leading to the second floor and a hall leading to who knows where, so she took the stairs and found herself in a hallway. She heard some voices coming from one of the rooms. In this room were two females. One was older than her and the other was younger. Also in this room was a man older than her, yet around the same age of the older woman. The man had dark blue hair. The older woman had long black hair and the younger one had long golden brown hair. It seemed that they all noticed her since their eyes were focused on her.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"I'm Sylva," she responded quickly, as if it was an order, "Sylva Winter."

Ooc: okay Rising said she wouldn’t be able to post until next Friday, so we will delay a bit until her character can post, luckily I know what we can do, go fetch the only member of the group that isn’t controllable, check Question to the waterfall for information on the elf with the armor.

Bic:

“Interesting technique.” A voice said, making Cyno jump. Pulling his dagger out once more, the elf jumped from his bed.

“Who’s there?” Cyno shouted, his temper rising. People were forever poking around his house, all because it looked like a ruin didn’t mean it wasn’t occupied. The last three who had dared to enter the house while the elf was in a bad mood had become the main entrances ice sculptures. The door pushed open, revealing a woman with raven black hair, mismatched colored eyes, and a white cloak that covered most of her body. Her face was incredibly pretty, despite her eyes. In less than a second his bad mood disappeared, and his mouth cracked into a grin.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize anybody still lived here.” The woman said quietly. Smiling inwardly, Cyno decided to turn on his charm reflex.

“You just startled me. So, what’s a beautiful woman like yourself doing here?” the ice elf. At his comment the woman rolled her eyes, making herself look even better looking.

“I was just traveling when I spotted your house. I thought I could maybe rest here for a bit.” The woman replied. Thanking whatever god that was watching over him, the ice elf left the room and darted into his mother’s room, grabbing several torn sheets that weren’t wet.

“Use these and make a bed for yourself… Im sorry you didn’t give a name.” Cyno said coolly, tossing the blankets to the woman.

“Sora, Sora Atichae.” The woman mumbled, arranging the blankets as far away from Cyno’s own bed as possible.

“Cyno Frador at your service. You said you were traveling, where to? This part of the land is always blanketed in snow, no one lives here anymore, except for me when im not with Aristo or Sudran.” The elf queried, wrapping himself in his own blankets.

“You know Aristo and Sudran, how?” Sora replied, dodging the ice elf’s first question.

“I met them some time back. What brings you to this land?” Cyno said firmly, intent on getting an answer. If she was another crook hired by the village he would kill her, as his family’s possessions were not to be touched. The woman stayed silent for a while, contemplating what to say. A few minutes of silence later, the woman looked up.

“Promise me you won’t laugh.” Sora said, a serious look in her eye.

“Ok, for you I promise.” The elf replied.

“Ive had these dreams lately, dreams of a lake not far from here. In these dreams I can sense something, something demonic.” The woman said quietly. At the mention of demonic power Cyno stood up, his face grim.

“In these visions, did you ever see the demon that radiated the power.” The elf asked.

“No, why?” Sora replied. Not answering, the ice elf picked up a ball of snow and began forming it into a sculpture, gradually giving it shape. After a few moments an ice sculpture was sat in the palm of his hand, a perfect model of Icil, the demon trapped beneath the lake.

“Does this seem familiar to you, anything about it make you think you’ve seen it before?” Cyno asked. Sora studied the model intently, and after a few moments she looked up.

“Yes it does. Ive never seen a creature like that before, but it rings a bell. What is it?” Sora replied, a slightly puzzled look on her face.

“This is Icil, a demon that cloaks this land in the perpetual winter here. He was sealed away a couple of hundred years ago, but thanks to my foolish actions he was set loose again a few years ago. He fell eventually back to the abyss of which he came, also known to you Sora as the lake you see in your dreams, and he left me with two parting gifts, a dagger and a frozen blood shard.” The ice elf said, and crushed the sculpture without even moving his hand, levitating the ice pieces off his hand.

“If he’s gone, why do I keep having visions?” the woman asked.

“Was there anything wrong with the lake when you dreamt about it?” Cyno asked.

“The only thing I could see was a tiny crack in the surface, but nothing could fit through that.” Sora replied.

“Ah… that would probably be my fault. On my vast venture over the lake I ran into a bunch of lesser ice demons, all working for Icil. I slayed them all using my weapon, but as a result I cracked part of the ice. The lake is quite thick so even my attack did very little, but it did enough, it caused a hole straight through to the abyss. I would have sealed it up straight away, but unluckily I passed out mere moments afterwards. And do not judge what a demon of Icil’s power can do, he will force the crack big enough till he can fit through, but if it’s a needle shape now then he won’t be getting through it for a long time.”

“Wait a moment, I never mentioned how big the size was.” The woman replied, putting the elf in an awkward position. But before he could answer someone else spoke, a voice from outside of the room.

“Hello? Anyone ho-” the voice said. Without waiting for whoever was talking to finish, Cyno stuck his head outside the room to check who it was. It was another human female, this one much younger than Sora. At the sight of him the girl let off a small shriek, nearly falling backwards down the ruined flight of stairs.

“Who are you?” Cyno asked, eyeing the girl.

“Erm… I’m Blaze, but its obvious you’re busy so I’ll just go… now…” the girl replied shakily. Cyno hesitated for a moment, thinking if he should bring her into the room so that he didn’t have to answer Sora’s question.

“No… you can come in. Just be careful not to break anymore furniture… not that it matters…” the elf replied, opening the door to let the girl in. She walked in rather quickly, a slightly scared look on her face. As she neared Cyno got a glance at her body, noticing the slight muscle bulging through her clothes.

“She seems pretty strong for her age,” Sora commented. Nodding in agreement with Sora, Cyno wondered what she could do.

“What kind of skills do you have Blaze?” the ice elf asked. In reply the girl pointed a finger to the roof, and seconds later a small ice bolt erupted from her finger-tip, hitting ceiling and creating another layer of ice on the roof.

“An Ice mage, eh? With Blaze for a name? Interesting.” Cyno smirked, resisting the urge to laugh. The girl blushed at the elf’s comment, but Sora stepped in to defend her.

“Cyno? She’s only a teenager, don’t give her that!” the woman said, slight annoyance in her voice. Her comment instantly wiped the smile off the elf’s face.

Why is it that human females always stick together? Cyno thought to himself. Deciding that getting on Sora’s bad side wasn’t such a good idea, the elf decided to apologize.

“Sorry Blaze. As you probably know, I’m Cyno. How’s it going?” the ice elf said coolly.

“I’m good, thanks.” Blaze replied.

“If your wanting to sleep here tonight, take my bed, im probably not going to get anymore sleep tonight.” Cyno said casually. Sheathing the dagger once more the elf walked out of the room, walking towards the shut door, and wrenched it open. Instead of another room there was just nothing, the door lead to the outside of the mansion, where the family graves were. Clicking his fingers the elf watched as a flight of stairs rose up from the snowy mounds beneath him. Walking down, Cyno jumped off the last one as it turned back into snow. Turning back to look at the house, the ice elf could swear he saw something moving about on the third storey of the house. Shaking his head, Cyno turned his attention to the masses of graves that were covered in snow, making it impossible for the elf to tell which grave was which. Sighing, the elf clicked his fingers again and the snow rose, and flung itself off. The graves were now revealed, each which would have looked identical if it weren’t for the different shaped gravestones. Walking to the nearest one, the elf bent down on one knee and bowed his head.

It is as I feared mother, Icil has once again tried to arise. I need your counseling like before… Cyno thought. In reply something stroked at the edges of his mind, and a warm sensation filled the elf.

Ah, my son, I thought this time wouldn’t come till for another hundred years. I would have expected it to be in your daughter or son’s lifetime at least… a voice spoke, directly into Cyno’s mind. At the last sentence the elf rolled his eyes.

You know that I do not wish to have children, I will not put them through what you put me and Fahria though when you had to tell which one of them is the guardian of the lake… Cyno replied, a slight hint of anger in his voice.

Now now, I only followed tradition, as my father did for me and my other sister. They both lay only a few feet away now… the voice replied.

If I am to help bring a child into this world, I will not follow tradition…

Hah! Every guardian before has said that to themselves once they are picked, but it will not happen. You will follow tradition, I stake my spirit on it… the voice replied. Smiling at his mother’s integrity, Cyno decided to get back to the subject at hand.

If Icil’s regains his freedom, this world will not be the same. He still has Fahria’s spirit and body, and he has had time to train with her power. If he gets out, even the dagger will not be able to stop him…

You know the solution already, your ancestor can help, if you can make amends with him… the voice said silently. For a brief moment before it was silenced again the elf felt something like a faint touch on his cheek, like a spirit trying to touch him from another world.

Goodbye for now mother. Next time I come, Fahria shall be with me… the elf thought quietly, touching the spirit hand. The feeling soon evaporated, as did the warm feeling. Shaking his head to rid himself of any doubts of what he had to do, the elf returned to the room.

Sighing as he reached the door, Cyno went to turn the doorknob, but before he could touch it, it swung open, revealing Sora stood in the doorway.

“You took your time,” the woman grunted, and let Cyno pass. Walking into the room, he saw Blaze was laying down on her bed, eyes closed.

“She only just fallen asleep, so keep quiet.” The woman said, silently closing the door. Turning to look at Sora, the elf saw that she had a slightly worried look on her face.

“What’s the matter?” Cyno asked.

“It’s just that… I was talking with Blaze earlier after you left, and she said she had been dreaming of the lake as well. This is starting to look like more that coincidence.” the woman replied.

“Where that blasted lake and that infernal demon are concerned, it is rarely coincidence.” Cyno grunted. Before Sora could say anything else there was another knock at the door, the sound instantly waking Blaze from her sleep. Pushing a finger to his lips, Cyno urged for the other two to be quiet. Drawing his dagger once more, the elf wrenched open the door. Stood in the doorway was yet another woman, but the only thing that made her stand out were the white wings on her back.

“Who are you?” Cyno asked.

“I’m Sylva. Sylva Winter.” The angel replied.

“Let me guess, you too had visions of a lake?” the elf asked casually.

“Yes… how did you know?” Sylva replied shakily.

“Join the club.” Sora sighed. The ice elf opened the door fully, letting the woman in.

“So hopefully this will be it, a group of five people against a demon with hordes of lesser demons at his disposal. Oh and an ice summoner that rivals my own power trapped in his body.” Cyno sighed.

“Umm… Cyno, there’s only four of us.” Sora said hesitantly. Without saying a word the elf clapped his hands, and moments later someone started yelling. Walking towards the window the elf pulled away the curtains, revealing a person trapped in a block of suspended ice. With a click of his fingers the block smashed through the window, stopping in the middle of the room.

“This fellow thought it would be interesting to listen to what we were talking about, though he makes more noise than he thinks is detectable. Touching the house means touching ice, and ice makes quite a noise to an ice elf.” Cyno said. Crushing his hand into a fist, the elf made the block drop the masked man.

“Who are you and why were you listening in to us?” Cyno said, pushing his dagger to the man’s throat.

OoC: Sorry for the wait, people. I guess I've kind of been shirking my duty. Also, I had really no idea what to write.

BiC:

Sora was surprised as Cyno pulled out another person from behind the curtains. She certainly hadn’t heard any noise to give him away. I guess I should pay more attention, the hunter decided. “Who are you and why were you listening in to us?” Cyno demanded, pushing his dagger to the man’s throat.

The mysterious man looked at the icy elf with wickedly blood-colored eyes. “I was sent here,” he calmly stated.

“By who,” Cyno asked, retracting the dagger back but still holding it so he could easily slash his throat. However, the man made no response to the question and stared at the elf. Cyno sighed and pulled back, placing the ice weapon into the back of his jeans, “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing that so many showed up. What’s your name?”

“Link XI,” he stated.

That’s a strange name, Sora thought but the blue-haired elf’s comment reminded her of something she had been thinking. “Hey, Cyno, how come it’s only us that showed up to this place? I mean, surely there are other people who can feel demonic presences. In fact, there are other people who can. So why is it us?”

The elf pondered this for a second before replying. “Well, I suppose it’s because Icil is an ice demon. So those that have some connection to ice would probably be more prone to sense his power.” Then he smiled, “I should be lucky it’s most women who came.” The half-breed rolled her eyes once more but mostly agreed with the elf’s explanation. Blaze was an ice mage, Sylva she wasn’t sure about but her wings resembled an angels so she might be more susceptible to the demonic aura, she had no idea about Link XI, and she was half ice demon. Still, the hunter didn’t like this setting for some reason.

“So,” Blaze finally perked up, “Is there something we should be doing? Or do we wait for something to happen?”

Cyno pondered this question as well, “...I’m not sure. I’ve never had others gather before because of the demon so something important must be happening. Perhaps we should check the lake. I doubt Icil could open the crack in a short amount of time, though, he could send his minions to attack.”

Finally, Sora thought, Something interesting to do. I wonder what kind of followers this Icil has? Oh well, they won’t be a problem.

OoC: Ello all, I'm new to the Paladins of Ice. I haven't gotten everything set up yet, like the banner and all. But I hope to take care of that soon.

BiC: What... What is this? Where am I? This lake. How did I get here? So many things I don't understand. Yet I fear I don't have the time to understand them. I fear something is about to happen. Something terrible. What is it? When is it? All these feelings, they are nothing like before, but... but they feel... they feel. Real?

Do not trouble your thoughts with fear child. You are of the pure and happy. Your thoughts should not be troubled with darkness and fear. The mistakes you have made in the past, are but a mere memory. Feel the happiness around you, feel what is about to come. I can not tell you what is going to happen. But you need to remember child. That you are not alone.

Her dream ended, and she awoke, noting the obstacles in the room. She could clearly tell that it was an inn. But she did not know how she got here.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Snowy Peak Inn. Welcome child. How are you feeling?" an old woman's voice asked.

She gasped. "Oh! You startled me. How did I get here? Oh, I'm feeling fine thank you, a little bit of a headache. But nothing really bad," she replied.

"Its no wonder you have a headache. My son found you laying on Icy Peak. It looked like you had fallen somehow," she replied.

"Really? Strange. Well, thank you for your help, but I can take it from here. I need to go some place. But, what do you mean. Icy Peak? I don't recall ever hearing of such a place," she asked.

"It is the mountain a couple miles down the road. If you don't remember, how did you get there?" the old woman asked.

I can't tell her that I was warped here through a dimensional portal. Can I? No! I will just have to ignore her question. Hmm?

"Well, thank you for your hospitality, but I really must be going. Good night," she said.

"Quite a jumpy girl she is. I want you to follow her, make sure she doesn't get into any trouble," the old woman told her son.

"Yes mother, I will," he said, grabbing a coat.

Janeen walked down the stairs, and went out the door. "Ugh, ow cold is it out here? Must be thirty below," she said, noticing a store to her left. "Maybe I can get a coat in there."

She walked in, and saw a nice warm looking coat inside the store. "How much is that coat?" she asked.

"This one," the man said. Walking over to a woolen winter coat. "This coat will cost four hundred gold."

"Four hundred!" she exclaimed. "Darn! I don't even have one hundred."

"You could work for it," he said.

"No thanks, I need to be somewhere, I think," she replied.

"Here, allow me to buy that for you," a young man's voice was heard, it was the old woman's son.

"No, I couldn't allow you to, you've helped me enough as it is," she replied.

"No, it is my pleasure, my mother wanted me to follow you, so as to make sure you don't get into any trouble, and it looks like you already have," he replied.

"Are... Are you sure?" she asked.

"It is alright. I get an allowance," he replied, giving the shopkeeper the money, and grabbing the coat. "You look wonderful in it."

"You really think so?" she blushed. They left the store and came across a road. "This is where we part ways. I must be going. I don't know where, but I will find it."

"I'll join you, at least allow me to come part of the way," he said.

"I can't this journey may be a risky one. Please forgive me, but I can't allow you to come," she replied.

"Okay, I wish you luck. You can always come back here."

"I will remember that."

She started walking, she wasn't sure where this would take her, but she just kept walking. She came across a lake, after walking half-way across it, she noticed a crack in the middle. Curiously, and probably foolishly, she bent down, examining the crack.

"Hey! What are you doing on that lake!" a man's voice was heard.

OoC: Did I mess it up saying that?

After a minute or so the other four had left the room for the icy hall giving Link XI a chance to trail behind and collect his thoughts…and some belongings. He could hear the others readying to leave and quickly rushed over to a side cabinet and quietly forced it open to find an old oak box. He opened the small thing to reveal three rings and a necklace made of gold but rapidly pocketed them as he heard footsteps drawing towards the door. He stood and walked a few steps at the same time as the ice elf stood in the doorway.

“Why are you still here?” He enquired, “Were ready to leave.”

“I was just securing that the Bloodsaber was still secured after your little magic trick.” He lied and emphasised the last two words with hatred that the elf had made him look foolish.

He raised an eyebrow and stated; “I have my eye on you.” And with that he turned and left through the hall before calling for Sora to wait up.

“Entèfur.” He swore at the elf in domensian before hurrying out of the main door after the other warriors, after grabbing a couple more rings of course. He secured them in his pockets as the icy temperature hit him like a brick.

As his boots made crunches in the snow he realised that it has started to snow quite heavily and seemed to be becoming more furious by the second. Not one to miss out on demons to fight he ran up behind the chattering Blaze and Sylva who gave him a slight glance before turning back to their conversation.

He preferred it this way; he had better concentration that was needed in contacting the wolf, especially over long distances. When he finally did get a reception with the beast it was faint and crackly and he had the feeling that the creature had other thing on his mind.

Wolf! Why the hell did you send me to this desolate wasteland?! What do you hope for me to achieve by gallivanting around with some elf and other weirdoes?! And I’m sure that I can smell the faint tingle of angel blood in the air.

Calm down Kinos…you shall see…what is to become….of this arrangement…in due time…but for now…try to get along…with the other…warriors. I shall…speak with…you more later…but for now…I must rest.

That was the last words that he heard from the wolf before the wind blew great amounts of snow into his face and he had to stop for a second to rub it from his eyes. The beasts last few words rang through his mind. “But for now…I must rest.” Where was he? Why must he rest? Questions flowed through his mind like a vast river until he realised that the group had stopped walking and were staring out at the lake.

He stepped forward next to Sora and looked out at the vast, shimmering diamond of the lake. He shivered at the thought of it but his fear turned to wonder as he saw what everyone was staring at. A young girl, no older than twenty, was staring down as something in the centre of the lake. Link XI guessed that she was staring down at the crack that most of the group had seen previously.
“Hey! What are you doing on that lake!?” Cyno yelled. His voice cut through the sound of the gale like the knife he wielded and the woman a yell as she looked up in surprise. The domensian couldn’t blame her, they weren’t the most ordinary looking group, or in the most ordinary place but still she screamed back something that was drowned by the mighty force of the wind.

“Come on, let’s see what she wants. She may have had visions of the lake too.” The elf said, almost reluctantly. Sora was the first to go onto the lake, Link XI couldn’t help thinking that it was to get away from Cyno, then Blaze followed by Sylva, and then finally the ice elf.

He took only a few steps onto the frozen abyss before turning to the domensian and asking; “Aren’t you coming?”

“Yeah…yeah sure.” Link XI carefully put one crimson boot onto the icy surface and instantly the visions of his childhood flew back to him. He quickly retracted it and soon a burst of laughter came from the elf.

“And you’re supposed to assist in defeating the greatest ice demon?” He commented insultingly with a haunting smile after his laughing had died down. Renewed hatred rose up in the domensian at blue haired man and he urged to punch him in the mouth but restrained himself. There’s always the battle against this guy’s minions, he may accidentally fall and be wounded.

He spread an evil grin on his face and slowly trudged his way onto the ice and clenched his teeth as the elf skated across the field of ice with ease. Up ahead the three girls were questioning the newcomer and were soon joined by Cyno while Link XI plodded on wearily behind thinking as many curses at the ice and its elves as was possible.

OoC: Finally. Sorry about the wait ^^;

BiC:

Blaze looked the newcomer up and down thoughtfully. She seemed to be pretty nervous after seeing the large group surround her, but by now she may've decided that all of them meant no harm.

Sora was the first to speak up. "Where are you from?"

The girl hesitated for a few moments before answering. "I am from Argonia".

Sora exchanged looks with Blaze, who shook her head. "We've never heard of a place like that".

The argonian girl looked away from them, clearly attempting to avoid their gaze. “Well, if you must know, Argonia is very far away from here...I doubt anyone around this area would know of it".

Sora let fly with another question. “Okay then, so why are you here? This is obviously a long way away from your homeland".

"Well, I've been travelling for a long time now. I know this may seem weird, but I had a strange dream about this lake...Like an evil force was here or something. But never mind about that..."

Sylva, who had been listening intently throughout the conversation, grabbed her arm. "I know exactly what you mean. You feel like there's a kind of strong demonic force here? That's exactly what I've been feeling".

Janeen smiled, happy to see that someone understood what they were talking about. “So what about all these other people? Have they been having these dreams as well?"

Blaze came out of her usual shy silence to answer the question. "I think it's just people who have something to do with ice, for some reason".

Janeen stood up straight and announced proudly, "I guess it's because I like sucking on ice cubes when I'm thirsty".

Blaze gave a very un-blaze-ish giggle. Sora raised her eyebrows but looked back at Janeen. "Well, I guess that's good enough for us. We probably should ask Cyno what to do next".

The ice elf, in person, was examining the lake's surface, his brow etched into a deep frown. He could feel the presence of darkness growing stronger and stronger every second...And something twitched at the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite understand it. Blaze watched him while Sora and Sylva chatted animatedly to Janeen and she skated out onto the ice, trying to look the very picture of gracefulness.

"Hi...! So what is it that you’re looking for?"

Cyno looked up at Blaze then back down at the ice. "There's something about the demonic presence down in this lake that I'm worried about. It's getting ridiculously strong..."

Blaze sat down on the ice, her legs crossed. The robe she was wearing prevented any coldness from the ice reaching her. The frost mage peered into the crack in the ice and she could indeed feel a strong presence emanating from it. She peered nervously at the elf.

"So what can we do about it?"

"I don’t know, I guess we'll have to-"

His talk was interrupted as a large rumbling occurred. Blaze quickly leapt for safely off of the ice, and Cyno followed her. They scrambled any from the icy lake’s edge as small cracks began to appear on the surface.

The angel was speaking with Janeen, the new arrival, with Sora when a large rumble had started. Cyno had urge everyone to get off of the ice quickly as cracks littered the once peaceful surface. In a moment's notice, Sylva had lifted off into the air as Janeen and Sora got off the edge of the ice.The main crack, which had once been very small, had expanded quite a bit, enough to get a child or two through. It seemed that was all that was needed at the time, for when she had landed, the rumbling had stopped. She looked at the ice elf carefully as he went on the ice to look at the damage.

"What do you think caused that?" she asked Cyno.

"I just hope it was just an earthquake," the ice elf responded, seeming to delude himself and the others from the obvious truth.

Only moments later did the first notice of attack begin. Several small demons, about the size of a child, had slipped through the main crack and began chipping at the ice. Luckily, they were horrible at the job. Cyno was looking at them closely while the others crept up from behind to look as well.

OoC: Sorry for the shortness. In a hurry.

Ooc: Since I want to keep this thread alive, I’ll post.

“So, the demon has still got enough power to create lesser demons.” Cyno chuckled, striding over the fractured lake confidently. Nearing one of the pint-sized demons, the elf pointed a finger at it, and instantly it stopped moving.

“Its shame he didn’t think to keep you ice-free,” the ice elf grunted, and pointed at another demon with his middle finger, stopping it as well. Repeating the process over and over, Cyno didn’t stop until he had every demon under his control. Wiggling his finger about, he watched as the demon rose and began to crash into one another, yelps and screams emitting from them.

“Don’t think about it, these things are mine to kill.” The elf shouted as he heard the sound of feet padding across the ice. Making his hands into fists, Cyno watched as the demon collided into each other one final time, compressing until eventually they became nothing more than a white block. The screams had stopped, and had been replaced with a sickening trickling sound as a white fluid leaked from the block. Laughing manically, the ice elf moved his hands in a vertical motion, sending the block slamming into the hole. Raising his hands, Cyno repeated the process the process over and over, until the block fitted in. Making sure was stuck fast, the elf pulled the ice shard from his back pocket, and changed it into a scythe.

“If you can’t take my orders, then we have a problem.” Cyno chuckled, and turned round to face the domension, who had slowly walked over the lake again.

“I never said I was going to take orders from you.” The man replied, his saber held in hand.

“As I said, we have a problem, and I can take care of problems as easy as those demons.” The elf muttered, his eyes turning an almost black color. For some reason, the rage he felt was much more than anything he had ever felt. Clicking his fingers, Cyno watched as several figures rose from the snow, taking demonic forms. The others watched in worry as the creatures approached the masked man, holding their razor sharp limbs out in front of them.

“Slice one down, and another shall simply take its place. You humans need to learn your place,” the ice elf laughed manically, raising more demonic ice creatures all around him. But before they could get within distance to do any damage, the rest of the group had gathered around Link, and were all brandishing their weapons. Looking at the determined faces of the group, Cyno’s gaze rested on Sora. Somehow knowing that he could do it, the elf closed his eyes and concentrated, and moments later someone screamed. Opening his eyes, the elf saw that a piece of ice was slowly rising around Sora’s feet, and droplets of blood were leaking from the piece as it crushed her legs.

Do not let him control you brother, you know you can fight him… a voice said suddenly inside the elf’s head, which was followed by a burst of pain. Clasping his head with his hands, Cyno’s control wavered for a moment, turning the creatures back to snow, and the shard returned to the ground as well. The pain flared again, forcing the ice elf to his knees. Trying and failing to stay conscious, the elf slumped over.

~

Below the unconscious Cyno, the demon grunted to himself.

That was a cheap trick dear Fahria, I almost had control over your brother…

You tried to end the battle before it even began, that’s the cheap trick Icil…

It doesn’t matter anyway, with my power still growing, I can now take over that fools mind whenever he chooses to use Icilria, or the blood shard he took from me for that matter…

I see, so you dare not face him in combat…

I have had enough of your complaining about me being frightened of your brother. I will make you a deal, if you let me use your power as well as my own, then I promise to face your brother in combat. Agreed? the demon thought. For a few moments there was silence while the spirit thought.

I agree, and I shall keep you true to your word…Fahria replied, making the demon chuckle.

That was a foolhardy decision, when Cyno’s dead body is laid in front of me, I shall take his spirit to strengthen me, and then you will have a friend to talk to. the demon said, and leant back his head to laugh, the sound filling the hollow cave.

OoC: Hooray for keeping the thread alive! Sorry GS if I portraied your character wrong in any way.


The domensian looked on stunned as the ice demons fell back into snowy lumps. New fury made its way through his dark veins and his fists tightened as he slid along the ice to where Cyno lay in an unconscious heap. “What the hell did you think you were doing?!” He shouted through clenched teeth, kicking the elf in between each word causing him to let out a groaning sound, “And don’t compare me to a weakling human either!”

He continued to kick until an icy palm rested on the back of his tunic. Slowly turning his head he saw the one who had been named Sora a split second before being thrown back with power too much for any human woman to comprehend. He landed hard on the ice and continued to slide until he was knocked back onto the snow. Cursing under his breath and rubbing a sore head he sat up and looked where he had fallen. He raised an eyebrow at the lack of any cracks but his wonder turned to anger as he looked up at the group again. A couple were looking behind at him while Sora was leaning over Cyno and muttering something.

Painfully he rose onto the ice again and folded his arms. Treading carefully he slowly made his way back to the other five, all the conscious ones leaning over the elf. A realisation came to him that he’d never really noticed before. Females vastly outnumbered males in this group. The feeling was filled by another of worry about Cyno’s personality around women but he soon pushed the feeling back and started to wonder about the ice elf’s sudden change of character. He couldn’t care less about the man’s well being from these bursts of change but if it happened again it could be fatal to his own health.

He neared the newest girl in the group whose name he had yet to learn. She gave him a glance of recognition before looking back down upon the fallen elf. He was breathing more heavily now (Link XI gave a silent laugh) and Sora stood over him, looking out into the distance. Suddenly she began to speak;

“Okay, he said he was an ice elf but I’m not sure weather that means he can survive these temperatures asleep or not so it’s best if we take him back to the house. Blaze and Sylva you check the surrounding area for any more of these ice demons, Janeen, you and I shall find our way back to the house through this storm and Link XI” His ears twitched at the sound of his name, “You get the pleasure of carrying the elf that you so rudely attacked.”

“What?! He attacked me! And who put you in charge fitly half-breed?” Not a second after the words left his mouth he felt the hard ice on his back and cool steel at his neck. Looking up he gave a slight chuckle at the hard anger in the girl’s eyes but soon stopped as the blade of her katana dug slightly deeper into his neck. Well, He thought, I’m making a lot of new friends today.

“We don’t have time for this,” Sora growled at the Domensian, the ebony blade of Oni pressed hard against his neck. The sword had appeared without a second thought in her anger, a characteristic of the dark weapon. “Unless you want to leave him out here and try to fight him when he has another freak out, I suggest you listen.”

His blood-red eyes narrowed, “So I’ll be the first one to be attacked when he wakes up?”

The hunter allowed her blade to disappear into Omni, “You’re the one who kicked him when he wasn’t even conscious.” She released him, stood up, and almost lost her balance to a strong gust of wind. The storm had picked up during Cyno’s strange attack and hadn’t lessened when he fell unconscious. Sora gave a glance towards the crack in the lake. The block of crushed demons was still tightly secure in its spot, the white fluid had frozen to the sides. Shaking her head, the female drew her while cloak around her, walked up to Janeen, and gave a weak smile, “Well, let’s see if we can’t find our way back to his house.” The Argonian nodded and Link XI roughly threw Cyno over his shoulder.

The wind whipped snow into the three faces, making it only so a few feet into front of them could be seen. The Raikan was in a really bad mood and it didn’t help that her legs throbbed with every step. Man, I’m gonna have some nasty looking bruises from this, she thought. Janeen was braving the storm to the left of Sora, the Argonian not looking very happy about this weather, either. Link XI was traveling beside her on the right, muttering something that couldn’t be heard over the wind, which was probably a good thing. She walked a tad slow so the Domensian wouldn’t fall behind. Not because she didn’t trust him but because the hunter was worried that Cyno might not be completely well when he woke up. Hmm, ice demons, Sora pondered, That’s something Icil can do but Cyno did it as well. Not to mention we were near that crack. I wonder, did that ice demon have something to do with the elf’s freak out? Wouldn’t surprise me, demons never fight fair, she commented, ignoring the fact that she was half-demon.

“I think I see something,” Janeen suddenly stated, pointing ahead. Sure enough, a dark shape could be made out.

“His house is the only building out here so that must be it,” Sora replied and the group hurried to get out of the storm. The inside wasn’t much better as various holes allowed the wind in, anyway. “Here,” Sora pointed to Link XI, “Set Cyno on the couch. It’ll be easier to watch him.” The couch was a blue and soft material, only somewhat covered by ice. The saber-wielder almost threw the elf onto the furniture, obviously still not happy about the conditions. Then again, Sora wasn’t in a much better mood, either. The wind’s howl was amplified by the house and snow was starting to drift in piles near the holes but it was some protection. The female grabbed some snow and tried to clean off some of the blood that was on her khaki pants but only managed to get a little. She then looked back up at the two others, “At least one of you should go back out, find the others, and lead them back here. Hopefully, the demons Cyno destroyed were the only one for a while.”

Janeen stood there rather concerned about Sora's condition. She turned to the one with the red saber. "Would you, please go and find the others?" She asked, a rather concerned look on her face, as well as a hand over her heart.

While waiting for a response, the troubled girl went over and stood beside Sora. "Are you alright? Can I help in any way?" She asked in a concerned tone.

The girl then stood waiting for responses from both of them. Hmm... This is very strange, I've never met a person able to control ice. Nor do I have any idea how I got here, she thought. Her eyes turned to the unconscious ice elf. She stared down at his face. "You'll be alright," she said. As if she was trying to put words of comfort into him. Although, she knew he couldn't hear her.

OoC: >> That was like... Short...

For one as foolhardy, arrogant and stupid as you, I am surprised that you ever defeated Icil. It seems fate has a strange sense of humor. a voice said in Cyno’s head, which he instantly recognized as his fathers.

This coming from the person who got stuck as a statue until I defrosted your dead body. the ice elf sneered, the malice easily heard in his voice.

I only come to give you a warning, and some advice. Icil has many tricks up his demonic sleeves, like manipulating you through your weapons and armor. He will not stop until he has regained his power in this land again. As your dear mother has already told you, you must seek the help of your other ancestor, whom you have recently acquainted yourself with.

That… might be a problem. He thought I was evil, and to stop him from killing me, I had to seal him in a cave.

I don’t see how your mother can have so much faith in you, your barely even going to be able to beat Icil, whether or not you possess the trinket of our land.

Our land? Trinket? What are you prattling on about this time?

It seems you didn’t listen very well to your mother when you were younger. A long time ago, when Icil and his twin discovered this land, they gave it a name. The two started the family bloodline, and were the most powerful of our family. Both poured parts of their magic into an item. Icil created the ice shard that you now carry with you, which is why he can control you with it. Your ancestor created a necklace, forged from the same ice as Icilria, more powerful than anything else. It was this that sealed Icil away the first time with the help of Icilria when Icil corrupted himself.

Where is it now?

I believe it was your mothers, and it enhanced her power to help deal with you and Fahria. It is either buried with her or lost.

Well, if I can acquire it I should be able to vanquish Icil once and for all, and I don’t think I will need my ancestors help for that.

Think again, the trinket will not work without you knowing the name of two things, your ancestor and the name of our land. Well, it seems it is time you returned to the world of the living, take care and heed my words. the voice said. Before the elf could ask anymore questions, pain flared once more in his head.

~

Cyno sat straight up, both hands clasped to his head. Looking around, the ice elf found himself back in the ruins of his house.

I think it was time to re-acquaint myself with my dear ancestor, and end this once and for all.

OoC: Damn why are only a few people replying. Sorry if I did your character wrong Angel.

“Oh whoop de do, sleeping beauty has stumbled back into the world of the living once more.” Link XI blurted out as Cyno shot up on the bed causing the newest member of the party to stumble back before he gave himself a confused look for his strange out burst, it didn’t feel right to him. He shook of the feeling and looked down to see the ice elf thinking deeply.

“What is it?” Asked Sora crouching down next to him. She looked at him with a look of concern showing on her face while her eyes dug deep into Cyno’s pondering face that seemed to be looking into nothingness. Sora’s eyes rested on him for a few moments longer before they glanced up to see the domensian giving her a strange look. “What?” she asked him sharply but all she got in return was dark muttering under the man’s breath.

“We have an objective now.” Cyno said startling the three as he rose from the bed, “We must find the necklace of my ancestors.” Before anyone could respond he began out of the door but after a cry of “Hey!” a hand flew to his shoulder and he turned to see the domensian. They met at eye level and a moment of anger passed between them.

“Since when have you been in charge?” He shouted at the ice elf’s emotionless face, “Why do you get to decided what we do? Why should we have to listen to you?!”

“Because you little wrench,” Suddenly the elf seemed to loom over Link XI and grabbed him y the scruff of his collar, “I am the one who know this land and how to defeat this demon that we all whom we’ve all dreamt about, except for yourself, and if you remember correctly you were nearly killed by my power before and this time,” Here he put a fist on the icy dagger, “you may not be so lucky.”

“But it wasn’t your power now was it?” Link XI dared to ask but his only reply was a scowl and thrown back a few feet while the elf descended to the doorway only to be stopped by Sylva running inside. She was out of breath and bent over clutching her knees.

“Guys, we’ve got trouble.” She said through heavy breaths.

OoC:Sorry for the wait.

BiC: Sylva's abrupt entrance attracted the attention of the four there. As she was regaining her breath, the elf asked her questions.

"Where's Blaze?" Cyno asked her.

"Back there," the half-angel answered, pointing to where she had emerged.

"What happened?" Sora sked from behind.

"Demons," she answered, "A large number and about the size of Cyno. Blaze told me to go and get help."

"What are we waiting for?!" Janeen shouted.

"Where's that other guy?" Sylva asked out of curiosity.

Link XI emerged from the far back with a scowl. Whay happened with him?, Sylva thought.

"What are we waiting for?" Cyno shouted, "Let's get going! We don't know how long she can hold them off!"

Everyone exited the house and headed for the site where Blaze and Sylva were assigned. Sure enough, there was a large army of ice demons, larger than the last in size and number. The crack, once plugged, was not open to a rather large size, just enough for one of those demons to barely squeeze through. Blaze was at their end, getting rid of many demons, but more kept coming through the crack.

"Got the help," Sylva tld Blaze.

OoC: Uh, hello everyone. I apologize to all of you now for not posting in this thread before now. Basically, I had no free time for many months due to taking part in way too many extracurricular activities at one time. Again, I’m sorry for not posting before now. I promise I’ll be better.

BiC:
As the cold wind blew fiercely, a lone figure stood in the snowy wasteland. The figure was that of a young man who looked to be around fifteen. He was of average height, and had long, green hair that barely brushed his shoulders; his eyes, which were also green, were almost the same color. Underneath the long, black cape that he had bought to keep warm was an entirely green outfit. Hanging from his shoulders were a long bow and a quiver filled with arrows.

The young man, Kaj, glanced around as the cape whipped at his legs. Dark grey clouds covered the sky, making it look as if it would start snowing at any moment. Kaj sighed, his breath visible in the icy air, as he began to walk across the snowy plain. He discovered that there were some footprints in the snow, and they appeared to be fresh. He followed them, curious to see if they would take him to where he needed to go.

A few days ago, while Kaj had been traveling, he stumbled upon a little town. It appeared to be in the northern part of the country, where winter was the only season. He stayed there in hopes of gaining some rest from traveling, as well as stocking up on some well-needed supplies.

It was while he was in that town that he received a strange dream. In the dream, he saw a large, frozen lake. Its glassy surface was smooth but for one thing: a small crack. It was hardly noticeable, yet Kaj felt an evil presence lurking near it.

Kaj shivered as another cold blast of air hit him. He usually didn’t mind cool weather; after all, in the forest where he had grown up, it was always cool there. However, the cold temperatures and the freezing wind made him feel rather uncomfortable. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his pants as he continued walking, trying in vain to ignore the cold.

C’mon, Kaj! he encouraged to himself. Just check out this lake. After you do that, you can go back to the town and get some warm soup

He reached under his shirt and pulled out his bronze medallion. Engraved on it was a willow tree, his family coat of arms in a sense. He fingered the engraving, the metal warm to his touch. He sighed as he held it in his hand. Using his senses, he reached out to see if he could find any signs of plant life. To his disappointment, his found very little plant life.

I guess I won’t be using any magic here, unless I missed some plants. Though I highly doubt that I did that.

He shivered as he hurried, trying to get his body heat flowing though his body. The wind’s bitter breath was growing stronger and colder. He didn’t know why, but he felt the need to examine the frozen lake that he saw in his dream. It was almost as if something was calling to him.

As he was thinking about this, he was oblivious to the fact that he was now walking on the frozen lake. Unaware of this, he began running and ended up falling flat on his face. He let out a groan as he slid a few feet on the ice. He lifted his head and saw some people fighting something up ahead. He tried to get up quickly, but just fell again. Getting up slower than before, he pushed himself with his feet, sliding towards the group.

He saw that the group was composed of five people: two men and four women. They were fighting many strange demon-like monsters. They appeared to be composed of snow and ice; however, Kaj had a feeling they were not to be underestimated. They were coming out of a small hole in the middle of the frozen lake. It took Kaj a moment to discover that the hole there was at one time the small crack that he had seen in his dream.

It’s grown bigger! he thought as he grabbed his bow and notched an arrow on it. These monsters are coming from underneath the lake! But how? And why are they coming from there?

“Hey!” one of the people, a young man with blue hair, yelled at Kaj. “What do you think you’re doing here?”

Blaze skidded out of the way as an ice demon spun in her direction. The translucent being had a scythe for an arm, and pure white eyes. It glared at Blaze hungrily before leaping into the air, the blade glinting dangerously in the air.

With a quick flick of her hand a bolt of ice magic flew out from it to strike the creature straight in the face. The hideous demon uttered a shrill screech and was thrown two meters in the direction Blaze had shot it, shattering into millions of ice shards when it hit the ground.

Looking around to see if any more were coming, she noticed random demons dropping dead in the snow as if they had suddenly lost the will to live. Blaze turned to see a young man firing arrows from a bow into the demons, swiftly dispatching them for good. Renewed with a fresh surge of hope, she turned to face another demon.

The particular one she was facing looked very different to its brethren. One noticeable feature was its icy black wings which dripped with water under the sun. Another was the fact that its hands were both designed into long swords, the ends sharp as a needle. Noticing that all of her companions were occupied with fending off their own opponents, she focused on the menacing specimen before her and charged ice magic into her hands.

"Icilius Baltro!"

A bolt of ice zoomed towards the demon, aiming for the chest. The creature simply cackled and waved it away with a swipe of his long sword. Strangely enough, it did not attempt to attack her.

"Ha!"

Sylva leaped out of nowhere to come to Blazes aid, her attention set on the demon before them. The creature stood, unwavering by the crack in the lake. It only moved slightly, cracking (or what would be) its neck, grinning at the two creepily.

"What's up with this guy?" said Sylva, while staring eyebrows raised at it. "It looks like it's an ice sculptor or something."

Blaze shrugged, gathering more magic in her hands. Clenching her fists, she rushed at the demon, attempting the punch it with an enchanted blow.

The creature dodged her attacks with a supernatural speed, laughing horribly as it did. Blaze released her hands and the magic flew out from them to hit the demon. The unexpected attack caught it off guard and it reared back, its expression changed to that of anger.

Before the demon could hope to retaliate, however, a spark of magic hit one of its weapons, causing it to catch fire. The creature groaned and hit the floor, using the cold snow to put it out. When it rose to its feet, the sword was half melted and the ice demon looked even angrier than before.

Within a split second the being was upon Blaze, sinking its sword into her chest. The sorceress screamed- not out of pain, but out of shock. For some reason, the ice had created a huge numbing sensation throughout her body. Blaze watched in horrified fascination as the demon and its weapon melted straight into Blazes body, sealing up the gaping hole that the blade had left.

The effect was immediate. Blazes appearance changed immediately; wings, the exact same ones the demon had sported, sprouted from Blazes back. Her hair turned black, and as did her eyes- staring into nothingness. The new Blaze turned to look at Sylva, a grin spreading across her face.

"Like my new body?"

OoC: Time to spice things up a bit. Blaze is now possessed, and she is three times as powerful as before. Read her profile and you should catch the gist of what might happen.

(I did plan this.)