RP:Determination as Hard as Ice

This is a Mage's Guild RP.

This is a Healer's Guild RP.

Summary: Karasu is determined to become a full-fledged Mage Apprentice in the Mage's Guild! Dyraxdiin receives a letter from the Healer's Guild and decides to bring Karasu along for the ride as her test for admittance to the Mage's Guild. What follows is a trip to the Ice Plane, battles, near-death experiences and an Undead Ice Pony. Neighhhh!

The Mage's Tower

In the Mage's Tower, several promising users of the arcane magic from all over Lithrydel were granted access to train under the administration of the guild. Such access was not easily granted, and not looked well upon when it was whispered often that the only reason for a certain student's access was because their father once worked in the Guild. The heat of summer was upon Xalious, as evidenced by every single window on the ground level being opened and the torches being extinguished until nightfall. A wand is haphazadly pointed up in a quill holder at the front desk, where a pale blue light gives some relief to the heat. A student marches out of Oriyan's office, the hood of the student robes pulled over her head, but her hiccuping loudly enough for anyone in the room to know that some sort of tantrum has transpired. A mulberry-brown feline tail whips back and forth from beneath the robe. The elderly instructor sighs at the doorway and calls after her. "You are an excellent student, but you are just not ready for-- Foreza, Foreza, stop her!" The feline student has one foot up the staircase that leads up the Guild's headquarters when a familiar buzzing courses through her body that renders her immobile. Frustrated, the trainee, who is acting far more like a spoiled child at this point, thrashes in the invisible binds and lets out a yowl to attract any attention she can. "I have been at the TOP of my classes since I was a kitten, and I've passed all my assessments, why can't I be an apprentice?!" The hood falls backwards to reveal the face of a half-feline human, with thin black whikers jutting out from the area where her humanoid nose meets her cheeks, and two elongated canines peeking out from her lips, which are pulled into a grimace. "I want to hear it from them, not from you!" Anyone descending the stairs of the Guild headquarters would be able to easily see what it is that makes the instructors nervous to let her even be considered for apprenticeship: at the base of the back of her neck is a marking that very distinctly resembles artists' rendering of the lost Eye of Vakmatharas. It had been whispered for years that this child's presence in the Tower was a bad omen.

A middle-aged man, nondescript save for his unusual choice of apparel - scrolled, seemingly ensorcelled mithril halfplate worn over gray robes - happens to arrive just in time, as it were. The apparent human bows his head to Foreza and then to the instructor, both of whom offer a similar show of respect. A wave of his hand serves dual purposes, dismissing the instructor and releasing Karasu from the spell. Indeed, Dyraxdiin garnered a look at the Eye, but whatever it's purpose, the great wyrm cares little - or feigns such. "I am Dyraxdiin," A blue-eyed gaze meets Karasu's. The mage is seemingly without weapon, or mark of the Guild, but commands an easy air of authority within these chambers, made evident by the manner in which Foreza and the instructor earlier regarded him upon his entrance. Dyraxdiin spends a majority of his time within his office on the first floor, coming and going with new additions to his library, or fetching materials for any number of projects that he juggles between guild-work. He enjoys maintaining an office on this level, given it enables him to keep a close eye on students of interest, as well as deter any would-be mischief within the guild halls. With this in mind, he is readily recognizable to most, even the students here. The real question here - is she a potential apprentice, or a student intent on making mischief? Dyraxdiin takes in the feline's state, eyes narrowing for a moment in an attempt at recalling if he's seen her before. "And what is your name?" His voice is low, almost kindly.

The release from the bindings is unexpected to the poor student, who rather ungracefully wobbles back off the first step of the staircase. "Ma-- ma-- Master Dyraxdiin." She stutters before standing straight and greeting him with a deep bow, which causes the hood of her robe to rather comically fall foward over her head. The Magister Templi is far from unknown to the student. The mages clear out, each giving the other sideways glances as to ask if they knew what was happening next. The feline raises her head, her cheeks colored from having been seen in such an unseemly state by an elder, even if it was one of the ones she had been calling for just seconds ago. Hazel eyes seem to dart everywhere to avoid meeting his gaze, and her fingers fidget underneath the robes. Despite the brass armour and the twin short-swords fastened on either side of her hip, her demeanor is more of that of a scolded child than a trained spellblade, a comparison that would be not too far off the mark if she wasn't one of the youngest seniors. Slitted eyes meet the elder's blue eyes for a moment before darting back to the floor and giving another bow of her head. "Karasu, sir. Karasu Tsuji." With a thick gulp, she raises her head again to meet his. "I-I am... top of my class consistently, and I am trained well enough to disarm my seniors in battle. Wh..." Her speckled ears flatten against her head. "Why can't I be an apprentice?"

Dyraxdiin raises a brow at the young hopeful, once more taking a moment to inspect her persons as if to gauge her likelihood of survival in what's to come. Before silence can draw painfully into the throes of awkwardness, the great wyrm smiles. "I received an urgent letter from the Healer's Guild which requests our help. As an aspiring mage, consider it your entrance exam to accompany me." He pauses, glancing about before returning aegean-hued eyes to the feline, "And because I don't see my Spellblade, Elioyahazar, it will be your duty to protect me. Don't let me down." From this point, Dyraxdiin gives a knowing nod to the instructor, whom had scurried off to a distant corner of the hall to watch the proceedings between the two, and simply begins walking toward the exit. Whether Karasu follows or not, Dyraxdiin isn't concerned. It is up to her to make her own decision in the matter.

Karasu blinks once, then twice at the seeming shift in topic. "Entrance exam...!" She echoes, her ears perking up and her tail twitching at the prospect. "Yes! I won't let you down!" The student beams, running and grabbing her rucksack from the instructors office before catching up to the great wyrm. "What has happened at the Healer's Guild?" She asks, glancing up at him as they walk.

The Magister Templi doesn't turn to look back at the feline who has rejoined him after grabbing her things. Instead, he simply states over his shoulder, "Emilia is dying." And the journey begins!

The House of Ara and Beyond

Dyraxdiin arrives in simple human fashion - hopping off the merchant cart he hired back in Xalious Village to take him and Karasu to the House of Ara, where Emilia and her attendants are waiting. He offers the wagon driver a silver and a nod of his head in appreciation. Then, he offers the trusty mule a loving scritch behind the ear, before turning his attention to Karasu. "We are acting as representatives of the Mage's Guild. I'll need you on your best behavior." A wry-smile later, "But don't act like some sort of stiff, okay?" The mage proceeds to the front door of the sprawling building and provides two sturdy wraps upon it's surface. While he waits for a response, Dyraxdiin adjusts his robes and brushes off some of the road dust that managed to accumulate on his otherwise immaculately-kept armor. Can't arrive as a guest and then track dirt into your host's House!

Karasu thanks the driver and gives him a polite nod before stepping off the cart. At his instruction, she straightens herself-- "Yes, sir."-- and at the comment, relaxes somewhat-- "Y-yes, sir." --trying to mentally figure out what the correct amount of posture is needed for this assignment. Fighting and magic came naturally to her, but etiquette was a completely different world for her. What good was it when all she needed to do was strike down those she was instructed to? Following his lead, the feline combs her curls with her fingers and straightens the tie of her robes.

The door to the house of Ara was always open, but as the man’s fists knocked against the wood the doors swung open slowly on their own accord allowing a cold gust to exit into the evening air. Standing inside was a small girl perhaps ten with long dark curls falling around freely in wild mess to her waist. The eyes that stared out from those dark curls were mismatched, ice-blue and bright-emerald. Behind her resting was a pair of emerald leathery wings. Her voice echoed out into the halls while those lips never moved, “Welcome to Ara”, an echo in empty space. Standing next to her was an elderly woman whose skin had long wrinkled and hair turned grey dressed in simple grey gown. Looking to the new arrives the woman offered a smile, “You must be the Mage’s Guild. I am Edith and I thank you for coming. Emilia is this way.” With that the pair of females turned on the chilly floor to heard toward a set of doors that had frozen over. Beyond them a hallway that was snowing with ice coating the floor that lead up another flight of stairs to another set of frozen doors. Opening the doors the group would walk into a winter wonderland that steamed from the unconscious Ice Genasi laying on a marble slab in the room. White as snow with lips deep blue the woman looked dead, yet her heart still barely beat in her chest. Edith would turn to face the pair, “This is Emilia.”

Dyraxdiin, upon the door swinging ajar at his knock, turns and offers Karasu a perplexed look. He isn't one to dawdle about however, and sure steps carry him over the threshold, into the cool air of the foyer. When the two intercept their entrance, Dyraxdiin offers them his complete attention. Instead of wasting time by introducing himself, they already know who he is by their swift handling of them, the mage simply follows them up to the room where Emilia is being kept. A near-silent admonition passes over his lips and Karasu will find that her feet easily maintain grip over the icy surface that they tread. Furthermore, the two would be enveloped in a gossamar shimmer of magic to keep from catching cold. After all, it's FREEZING in this room! The Magister Templi grits his teeth against the cold and marches forward into Emilia's quarters, grim set on helping, despite the frigid temperature. "I believe I met her once before, on a beach in Cenril..." He trails off, bending over so as to better inspect the conundrum they must overcome. "And how did this happen to her, Lady Edith?" He asks while turning back to face those who entered the room - a quick look of worry is passed to Karasu, before aegean blue eyes meet Edith's.

Karasu lets out an involuntary shiver once they enter the room, a puff of steam exiting her lips. Everything in the room looks as though it might shatter with the smallest of efforts, and the feline is careful to avoid touching anything as they approach the center. The first thing she notices is that the person on the table is quite beautiful, enough so that she leans in slightly to confirm she is not looking at a doll. All notion of her flustered personality is gone as she shifts gears. She exchanges a glance with Dyraxdiin before removing a leather glove and tentatively pressing down on Emilia's carotid. "It's very faint, but she is still hanging on. She is much too small to be a frost giant, though, and it's far too cold for a human to sustain themselves in this temperature. Is she a genasi, then? That renders most of these potions useless, then..." She muses quietly, gently setting her rucksack on the floor and examining its contents. Karasu looks up at Dyraxdiin, then at Edith.

The notion that the room was freezing is anything but a lie, it was as if the group had walked into the middle of Frostmaw in the middle of Larket. Everything in the room was coated in a layer of ice and snow, with snow still falling. All the elemental magic could be traced back to the white woman on the table, laying perfectly still. It was not Edith that answered his question, but the small girl that had joined them on the trip to the room. It was not her voice that answered them thought, it was a projection of borrow memories from the slumbering woman. These images landed on the wall that was coated in ice. The vision was foggy, it was from the Genasi’s eyes, barely conscious. A cage contained the woman and all around them more cages that contained other magical creatures all in a similar state of near death. All their magic being drained away by some raptor looking creatures with rune encrusted spears. The image was short lived, but it was the best guess that the Healer’s Guild had managed. It was now that the old woman spoke up, “She is alive. She arrived pale like a human with soft flesh, but she has sense frozen over and is leaking magic out of her. It has coated part of the healing center with Ice and winter. Nothing we have tried is keeping it in, something is missing or broken, but it is beyond us Healer’s at this point.” Then her gaze fell on the feline with a curious gaze, “Emilia is an Ice Genasi. She is small, but she was a rather dainty human first. Either way, there is little knowledge of Genasi in this world. Few see one unless they want to be seen. Potions have not worked yet.” The Genasi on the table was colder than the room, Karasu could most likely feel the chill settling in from touching her, too long and the feline could get frostbite. Emilia was not much bigger than the winged girl in the room. Karasu was right, too tiny to be a frost giant and a little too big to be a doll.

Dyraxdiin diverts his attention from the girl who is definitely not just some girl, and takes in the imagery cast on the wall. The Razurath. Dyraxdiin met with one of their leaders, Aetherclaw, only a few days ago. He delivered an ultimatum - leave or be forced to leave. He grits his teeth with renewed fervor. They would be dealt with in time, but as for Emilia... There isn't much his present collection of books, learned knowledge, or background can offer in helping her. However... The best way to learn of healing a being such as her... is to go to the source. "Genasi live dual lives, in a way. One as a living being of this Plane, and the other..." He trails off looking down at Emilia. She lie helpless, nearly lifeless, barely hanging on the cusp of life, with eternal darkness pulling at her coattails - beckoning her to embrace the void. "I surmise we can learn of a way to mend her condition if we visit her full elemental kin." He gingerly brushes aside a stray strand of Emilia's hair. "If we manage to acquire something from them," Dyraxdiin turns to Edith and the girl-who-is-not-a-girl, "Will you be able to use it to revive her from this state?"

Karasu shook her head, withdrawing her reddened fingers from the unconscious woman. After blowing a hot breath on her fingers and replacing her glove, she furrows her brow. Both the location and the markings of the runes are completely foreign to her. Her eyes flicker to her elder, whose clenched jaw is visible from her angle. So at least he recognized something, at least. "Did Emilia say anything before losing consciousness? Do you know what her plans were during the time that she had left the House?" She stands, going to the near-corpse and turning the pale hand palm up. In it, she places a glass orb and curls Emilia's fingers around it before placing her hand back down. The orb itself looks to be little more than a paperweight, save for the warm colors swirling through the center. The feline removes a similar orb from her own coat, pressing the glass to the inside of her wrist, as though testing something. "We call it a lover's orb. When held, you can feel the hearbeat of the holder of its counterpart." Catching Dyraxdiin's eye, she blushes slightly and remarks, "They are usually given to another student who will be going to the Cenril or Rynvale libraries to study. It will allow us to remotely check on her state."

Edith nodded slowly, “We can do what best we can if they can provide something to fix her. I am not sure what happened beyond her natural essence being broken down, sucked from her, and barely enough left to keep her heart beating. And even then, it has failed a few times already. I am not sure how much longer she will tolerate her heart being restarted.” The girl stood silent just staring up at Dyraxdiin as if those eyes of hers could pierce his soul and kill him should he fail to fix the Ice Genasi. The longer one looked at the dark haired girl with dragon wings the easier it would be to spot why she was here. Take the Genasi laying on the table and give her wild dark curls and wings and one would have the child standing before them, even with the Genasi’ hair twisted into dreadlocks with both sides shaved away it was not hard to see the resemblance, even if the child was not Genasi in the least, human and dragon. Edith turned to face the feline, “Do you ask your guild leader what they are doing everything they leave your sight? No? Me either. Emilia was brought back to Ara already unconscious and it was a long twenty four hours to keep her from slipping into death. Lynn here is good at seeing when that happens. Her sights into death is useful sometimes…and creepy most the rest of the time. We won’t let her die while you hopefully find the answer to her unconscious state.”

Dyraxdiin nods his head to Edith and the girl - he can indeed see some of the resemblance. His heart breaks just a little bit for the girl, who stands at the precipice, alike her mother, gazing out into the future horizon as an orphaned child. Left without her mother, guiding light, protector. Dyraxdiin wouldn't allow another innocent family to be destroyed by these damned Razurath. The quick-thinking of Karasu is given an appreciative smile, "We leave at once." The great wyrm waves his left hand through the air and firmly grabs hold of his Xalious staff - seemingly to appear from nothing - blackened and entwined with the effigy of a serpent. He strikes the ground with it once. He issues a low rumble from his chest, rising up past parted lips, to echo in enchanted fashion throughout the room. "Ready your weapons, Karasu." A peeling noise shudders into existence, followed by the clattering chimes of ice, snow and wind, before a portal erupts to the side of the marble slab. Beyond the portal, one can seen much of the same as this room. Ice. Snow. A frozen wasteland as far as the eye can see. The previous enchantment, the gossamar shimmer of warmth radiating into Karasu and Dyraxdiin amplifies in preparation of the journey into the coldest realm of existence. "This will be your true test. Do not fail me." A final look is given to the two who brought them to this room.

Karasu 's ears flatten against her head at the unexpected admonishment. Theoretically, it would make sense for the leader to have some sort of log of their appointments in case someone came looking for them, just how the instructor's assistants at the Mage's Tower always knew where their instructors were. She does not comment, though, lowering her head slightly. "Apologies, Edith, I meant no ill will by the question. I only meant to ensure if there was any other information that could assist in the investigation." Regarding the child, she gives a soft smile and offers her hand. Whether Lynn takes it or not, she assures her. "We are going to do our very best, alright? Please stay strong." Stepping near to her elder again, she readies her twin short swords and tightens the clasps of her armor. "I will do whatever I can to help you, Master Dryxadiin."

Edith shivered only for a moment as the portal into the chilliest realm opened at the command of the mage in the room. The chill was colder than the room as it seeped out of the portal. The brief wave that rushed over the woman came with a skip of a beat before the pulse in the orb started to strengthen in Karasu’ hand. Dyraxdiin was right that something within that realm held the key to fixing the Genasi on the table. Edith only nodded to the girl at her remark, seems not all leaderships follow the same order. The voice of the girl whose lips never moved echoed into the room, directly meant for Karasu, ‘Don’t worry you will or you will join death with her.’ The lips curled into a dark smile before Edith flicked the girl’s head, “Lynn, behave.” Then her words were back to the mage, “Be careful. We will be here when you return.”

Dyraxdiin mentally prepares himself for the plane of existence they're about to enter. In his younger years, he spent a great deal of time travelling through planes and cataloguing their varied... charms. It was part of his work as Arbiter for his people, gathering a wide swathe of information on other races and worlds so as to best develop a working system to go off of that suited everyone's needs. Today, he wishes he were back in his younger years, wild-eyed and excited at the prospect of visiting a new plane. He's been to this one and knows it's dangers outnumber it's securities. Karasu will surely hate him for this. A grimace later and Dyraxdiin steps through the portal, wishing to save his strength for the battles to come rather than holding a portal of this caliber open for any longer. "Come, Karasu," His voice echoes through the rift between worlds. Once she would enter, he closes his empty hand into a fist, stranding the two here in the Ice Plane as the portal closes shut. "We've a job to do. Stay alert." He looks around, aegean eyes taking in their surroundings. The icy wind buffets his face and he has to squint his eyes, lest shards of frost imbed themselves within and cause blindness. His human guise stands little chance against this world - he can only guess at how is companion is holding up. With that thought, Dyraxdiin's very being surges with magic. His free hand extends, rising up from below - simultaneously enveloping the pair in a magical construct - a bubble of safety, if you will. "Catch your breath and hone your nerves. Once we move further in, the cold will worsen and the dangers will heighten." The Magister Templi regards his companion while going over his plan on just how to come up with an item from this world that will rekindle Emilia's life.

Karasu swallows thickly as she cautiously steps through the portal, her swords raised and ready to strike. With the bit of time they have to prepare, she balances both swords' handles in one hand as she draws the hood of her coat securely around her face, leaving only her eyes exposed through the gap, and her ears through a pre-cut slit in the hood, which twitch at every droplet of snow that touches them. Equipped again, she takes a slow breath, seeming to focus on something. The blades of the swords begin to smoke at first, then glow a bright orange as heat radiates from them. "Good thing my specialty is fire." She tries to lessen the tension, more for herself than for her elder. Her assumption is that this is surely an easy task for someone as skilled as him, and that perhaps she may not even be needed here. Still, her efforts will be for naught if she does not at least play the part. She takes a tentative step forward in the snow, gauging how deep her footfalls will be. "These mountains all look alike, how do you know which way to go?" She asks over the roaring wind.

Dyraxdiin laughs at Karasu's query about everything looking the same. He lowers his free hand toward her weapon, trying to get some warmth worked back into his fingers. The heat was rather nice, actually. "I have no idea where to go, but I do have a solution, I think." Dyraxdiin recoils his hand and releases his staff - it flickers for a moment, much alike a candle's flame on the verge of snuffing out, then disappears entirely. "Don't run screaming for the hills." It's his only warning before Dyraxdiin leaves the bubble and gains a respectable amount of distance from Kara. He stretches, craning his neck one way and then another, before he suddenly begins to grow. His human guise is cast off in moments, as a tail begins to grow, six wings pour forth from his back and his limbs and neck elongate. Blink, and you'd miss it. Where once a Magister Templi stood, the great wyrm Dyraxdiin languidly stretches his wings, serpentine neck to crane about and lower his head within a few feet of Karasu. "Climb up. We'll cover a greater distance much faster this way." His Saurian voice shares a resemblance to his human one, but now thunders over the howling wind and grates like grinding gravel beneath boot. Walking around as small humanoids would draw less attention, but if they were found, they'd assuredly be attacked without a second thought by the assailant. At least in his normal form, any monster would think twice before trying to make a meal out of them.

Karasu stares wide-eyed at the wyrm, the glow suddenly gone from her blades, and her speckled tail completely puffed out. It is clearly her first time having seen any dragon outside of their humanoid form and all she can do is give a wide-eyed nod at his command. She fumbles a bit with putting her swords away before making a few agile jumps to rest at the base of his neck to shield herself from the winds that come with flight. The girl seems unsure of where to hang onto, and so she settles for wrapping her arms around his neck, being careful not to pierce the underside of the scales with her claws.

Dyraxdiin isn't crazy enough to engage in full-on flight in this plane - Karasu would surely freeze, or in the least come back home with a great deal of frostbite. That's not to mention how badly damaged his wings would become, or what kind of obstacles could be hiding beyond every cloud. Instead, Dyraxdiin stretches once again, offering a "Hold on as tight as you can. You won't hurt me." Sure enough, his scales have hardened with each passing millennia and if she did manage to poke him, it would be less then a pinprick in comparison to his size - something that dwarfs most of the regular dragons of this generation. Once Karasu is secure, Diin bounds forth through the snow. Ice deposits shatter beneath his weight and the wind howls all the more fiercely. Snow devils burst to life beneath his path and flee in myriad directions, spewing forth clouds of frost much alike an octopus' ink. This, combined with his weight, serves as catalyst for an avalanche. The breaking snow sounds off from high above, growing in thundering waves as it surges down towards them. Dyraxdiin doesn't deviate and instead spreads all six wings wide, then leaps from a rocky outcropping of ice, if only to catch the wild wind and glide further down the mountain. Hail and snow drives at his scales even harder and he hopes Karasu has somehow managed to avoid it behind his bulk. The great wyrm touches back down to the ground and continues at the reckless pace until the two arrive at the edge of a frozen forest, the avalanche long behind them and forgotten for now. The wind has slowed here, likely because the trees formm a protective wall against it. "We'll go on foot from here," He turns his head around to peer down his back at Karasu.

Karasu clings to the great wyrm, desperately trying to avoid being thrown off as he stampedes down the frozen wasteland. An ice troll propelled by the avalanche manages to land itself on his back, clawing its way up its back for the feline. She lets out a nervous sound and struggles to keep a hold on Dyrxadiin as she pulls out a dagger from the inside of her boot. Trying to pull out either of the swords in this case would surely send her flying. It only takes a few seconds for the blade of the dagger to turn a bright red before she nails the troll square in the forehead with the blade. It gives a shriek as it rolls off the wyrm's back and into the following avalanche. When they finally land, Karasu is all but completely disheveled, coated in a healthy layer of snow. "That will work fine, I can walk." She manages to get out before herself rolling off his neck and into the snow pile. With a new surge of determination, she stands and presses her hands together, focusing until the snow melts off of her and steam itself begins to come off the armor. "I'm fine, see?" The feline grins, taking an ice-cap mushroom from her bag and tossing it into her mouth like a piece of candy, then offering him one as well.

Dyraxdiin, oblivious of whatever transpired on his back during the descent, easily reassumes his human form once Karasu climbs down. This shift is accompanied by the tell-tale sign of stiffness when he cranes his neck this way and that - really, confining himself into this mortal form is rather taxing. He holds up his hand to Karasu, "I have plenty of strength left, but I'd be cautious about what you eat here. There's no telling what properties of the food change when passing into this world." A pause. Then a laugh. "Then again, you're probably safe. Probably." He turns back toward the forest, his smile evaporating from his face as the cold really registers against his skin. Damn, this place is a frozen hell. The Magister Templi recasts the warmth enchantment over the pair, and begins on foot into the forest. The trees are stunted, snarled and more ice than plant - most of them mimicking ice-sculptures like wicked hands armed with clawed fingers, reaching up to the skies in desperate pursuit of unwary prey. "I don't think I have to tell you to be on guard. There's creatures that live in this forest that I'd rather avoid if we can." Opting for stealth over his previous rampage down the mountain, Dyraxdiin moves into the trees.

Karasu lowers her hood before unsheathing her swords again, giving a silent nod to his warning. She tentatively touches the ground with the tip of her burning sword, revealing the snowbank to be so deep that the ground itself cannot be seen; only packed snow is revealed in its stead, with no roots in sight for the macabre trees. Her ears act as radars, swiveling every which way as they step forward. After a while of walking, she holds up her sword to stop him, and points the other back the way they came. Something is following their tracks.

Dyraxdiin turns his attention back in the direction that Karasu is pointing in. "We emit an unnatural warmth," He begins in explanation, "We're walking beacons of an anomoly in their world. So long as it doesn't impede our journey, we have nothing to worry about." Just to add weight to his vieled threat, Dyraxdiin waves a hand in front of him. Several orbs of light burst into being, so bright and white that it's hard to make them out for exactly what they are - balls of fire that follow the mage and act as ward for any would-be assailants. If this doesn't serve to deter the monsters around them, then they'll be up against something rather strong and confident in it's ability to kill them. As much as he doesn't like to admit it, the pair are not playing at home field, as it were, and are at an extreme disadvantage in this terrain. "I know that there are some nuetral creatures that live in these cursed woods. If we can meet one, and somehow assure it we're not going to harm it, we'll be one step closer to our end goal and we can get out of here." Just then a chorus of screeching howls emanates from deeper in. The sound is vaguely familiar, pulling at long forgotten memories in the great wyrm's mind - a fragment of something tantalizing him at the edge of his tongue, if you will. "We need to investigate." He quickens the pace in the direction of assured danger.

Karasu relaxes somewhat as the balls of fire elicit a shriek, followed by the sound of multiple hooves running away. "This is another world entirely. Have you been to this plane before?" She asks inquisitively, staying as close to the trees as possible to avoid being seen by anything else that might try to attack. Her pupils constrict at the howls, and her ears flatten. If the things that follow them are attracted to the warmth they put out, then her reckless sword play would just be making it worse. The swords are poised higher, and with a nod of affirmation, she hurries her pace to match his, the red hue fading from the blades themselves to decrease the strength of the beacon. A white winged creature shrieks at them and descends, but is quickly met with the blunt end of Karasu's sword. Incapacitated, but not dead. Her ears twitch. "There's more coming, let's go."

Dyraxdiin nods his head in response to Karasu, "I have, a few times. I came here on an expedition with another... one of my kind. It triggered a slew of more visits from others, and eventually one of ours was killed here." In truth, he's hoping to find the object that they had found previously, those 60,000 or so years ago. When the creature attacks, Dyraxdiin allows Karasu to deal with it, preferring to see how she responds in combat. He'll need to be able to rely on her abilities, if what they're approaching is what he thinks it is -- or rather thinks they are. As they grow closer and closer to the sounds of screeches, Dyraxdiin scurries up a snowbank, the gnarled icy-trees snagging at him as he does so. Just beyond the bank, there is an opening with a solitary tree, this one growing up far beyond the others, sitting as the focal point in the center. Saurian senses make out several shapes, moving like white shadows through the snow. Their focus is not on Karasu or Dyraxdiin, but instead they're systematically attacking a... horse of some kind, who seems to be defending the tree. "Frost Wraiths... ephemeral, they're only vulnerable to magic." He whispers over to Karasu, "They attack with magic and ice so sharp you'll think it a blade. Let's help this protector." The fight continues as he picks out his first target, and the horse shies away from a glancing blow from one of the wraiths. It's one of the undead creatures, life long left, winter took up residence within and urged it's bones onward. Fascinating, these winterborn creatures. Diin can feel it's own magic flooding forth as it desperately fights to defend whatever that tree holds at it's heart. "Move in," He whispers. Dyraxdiin rises up and stalks forward into the clearing, his arms working fervently to weave a tapestry of arcanic power. A streak of purple energy ushers forth a wave of arcane missiles, striking out at any wraith that gets close to the horse. While he distracts them, Karasu should be positioning themselves to dispatch them one at a time. Time will tell if she's up for that.

Karasu winces at the sight of the poor creature."Understood." She discards her robe so she can move about freely, her light feet barely making any noise as she approaches the wraiths from the opposite side. She clinks the swords together to draw attention of those furthest from the group. When separated then, the swords become immersed in what appears to be red-violet flames. Despite how well trained she is, the feline is still visibly shaking. The first few wraiths give a shriek and lunge for her. "It's just like practice." She breathes out, weaving herself into the gaps between the creatures as they lunge and slicing through them with the magic-covered blades. The effect works well enough, with the wraiths themselves erupting into flames with deafening howls before retreating to a safe distance or dissipating entirely.

Dyraxdiin continues attacking with magic missles, killing a few and wounding a few more. He watches Karasu handle her own on the other end of the clearing. The screeching soon subsides, and the ethereal creatures, those remaining, quickly disperse into the cursed woods. That leaves the trio, a mage, a spellblade and an unlikely ally, the undead ice horse to catch their breath - or lack thereof in the horse's case - and gather their wits. Dyraxdiin eyes Karasu and gestures toward the horse with a tilt of his head. Apparently, he'd like to see what kind of further ground can be gained with this sheepish creature.

Karasu puts one of her swords away, and gives him a confused stare, looking at him to the horse. It appears completely incapable of life, yet somehow moving, and somehow regarding the feline with eyes that display a marked sentience. With a slow movement, she keeps eye contact with the creature and puts the second sword away. "Not here to hurt you." She says slowly, extending a single hand for it to sniff. A single step is taken, which causes the horse to take a cautious step of its own back. In response, Karasu slowly crouches until she is on her knees sitting back on her thighs. "Come now, let me see your wounds." She coos, her voice surprisingly gentle even to her own ears.

Dyraxdiin remains where he is, ready to unleash hell upon this incarnation of winter should it prove hostile toward Karasu, but otherwise takes a backseat. He had heard rumors of such creatures guarding the heart in this forest, but he wasn't sure what to expect. Aegean eyes flick toward the tree and the hollowed out scar in it's surface. Were he a gambling dragon, he'd wager that's where the heart resides. If they can win over this protector of the heart, they might be able to leave this place -mostly- unscathed. "We don't mean you any harm, noble child of Winter. One of your kin, an Ice Genasi, lies sick and dying in our world." He advances a step or two, "If you would, please accompany us with the heart of ice that you protect, so that we might restore our friend."

The horse releases an otherwordly neigh, frosty blue eyes to regard Dyraxdiin, and then Karasu who approaches it. It's suspicious of her, of the two that came here from another place. Why did they help it? Were they honest in their intentions? Should it help them with the heart? It skitters to the side, closer toward the lone tree in the clearing. It flares it's nostrils, releasing a stream of icy-vapor as it sniffs at the approaching feline-woman. Hesitantly, gingerly, it lowers it's head and steps closer, unsure of the other person, but curious nonetheless.

Karasu despite being horribly cold, remains seated as the horse regards her. Standing now may very well prove to scare it. She lowers her arm and folds her hands in her lap. "We cannot do this without you. The Genasi we speak of, she seems to be a sweet soul. She has a daughter as well. Even if she did not show it, I know she is frightened for the well being of her mother. Any child would be. My mother was a feline of the winter too, and I was about this girl's age when the plague took her." She's revealing much more than she intended to, but when the horse takes a step closer, she continues, slowly bringing her orb from her rucksack and holding it out. "You can feel her heartbeat from here. It's so weak. Please help us bring the mother back to her daughter."

Dyraxdiin, sweating despite the frigid climate, begins to tap into the power required to form a planar travel portal. They needed to finish this and soon. There's no chance of sleeping here for the night to regain strength. They'd likely be hunted by things much worse when darkness fell - that is to say, if they didn't outright freeze to death when the temperature drops even lower. His hands and feet ache with the cold, even through the enchanted warmth spell. Human skin is not a very hardy material to wear, for sure. "We must be going. Please, help us." The Magister Templi opens a portal, the other side a rippled scene of the room where Emilia lie, waiting for their return. The twin orb clutched in her hand visible through the distorted picture of the portal.

The half-skeletal horse touches its nose to the orb held out, feeling and sensing what it is these two speak of, understanding. It turns and walks toward the tree, then reaches in with it's mouth to retrieve something... it glows behind it's teeth, a bright blue azure glow that is both brilliant as it is cold. The temperature drops and the horse is glazed with glass-like ice. Another unearthly neigh and stamping of it's feet, the Undead Hoarfrost Roan passes through the portal, with no further gesture.

Karasu jumps to her feet, wobbling slightly to adjust to the feeling of warmth back in her legs. "Is she going to wake up?" The feline asks excitedly. Running back up the snowbank to retrieve her robe, she slides back down, beaming. As the Magister Templi walks towards the portal, her ears twitch, catching the vaguest of shifts in the air. She exhales and turns back around to stop whatever is incoming. "Move!" She shouts, getting between him and the ice devil that had stayed motionless in the shadows of the grand tree. Her sword catches in its hilt, and the creature's claws connect with her head instead of his midsection, throwing her to the ground easily.

Dyraxdiin turns at the advancing Ice Devil, but is a moment too late! The crimson blood that flows forth from Karasu stains the otherwise pure-white snow and serves as further propellant of his ire. The great wyrm releases a roar at the Devil, his arm shifting into an anthropomorphic nightmare of scale, claw and corded muscle. He darts forward and grasps the creature with his over-sized hand, effectively crushing it at the neck, before eviscerating it entirely with a surge of coursing magic. "Foolish girl," He discards whatever part of the carcass that remains in his hand. His voice is soft, sad. "You are more valuable than I am." His arm shifts back and he gingerly lifts Karasu, with no trace of the earlier burst of Saurain rage left in his body. "Let's get you looked at."