RP: A Cold Reception

This is a Mage's Guild RP.

Summary: Kasyr, Lanlan, and Quintessa head to Frostmaw to convince a murderous dragon named Luffy to help them in the coming battle against the Razurath. What could go wrong? A lot, it turns out. Besides a few injuries, however, everything goes according to plan (they never actually had a plan).

Frostmaw Tavern

It’s difficult to imagine stepping foot inside this old and storied tavern without drawing immediate attention to its centerpiece: a massive fireplace dug directly into the earth, dominating the view from every angle. Its roaring flames have never been extinguished, fed constantly not only by large logs but by scraps of leftovers for its keeper, the fire wyrmling Aodhan. The tavern’s stone foundation, jagged along the walls but sturdy enough to withstand beatings from drunken brawlers, is lined with heartwood and animal skins to keep the fireplace’s welcome heat from escaping. Frost Giant lasses move skillfully among the crowds to serve ale and warm meals, occasionally stopping to regale a newcomer with the stories behind the many trophies hung upon the walls: sabercat fangs, mounted mammoth heads, aged weapons, dented shields, war banners, and a dragon skull hanging central from the ceiling, horns and jaws wrapped in blue chains. Patrons frequent the tavern from a wide host of races, here on trade or even residence. At night, there is dance and music and cheer -- and all sorts of physical contest. Stairs leading to the upper rooms can be spotted in the southwest corner, their steps covered in plush furs to suggest something softer and cozier can be found above. Drargon is the barkeep here, a gruff old war hero with plenty of tales. He’ll speak freely about his beloved battle axe or any of his scars, but for the one: whatever it was that blinded his left eye, he’s not telling.

Quintessa sits with her back to the fireplace, the warm air radiating from it to keep the lithe changeling from freezing up here. Even during the summer Frostmaw was cold, but now that autumn was here the temperature had become absolutely numbing. Of all the things she had to complain about in the frozen north, it wasn't the drinks. It never stopped amusing the hex blade that whenever she orders a shot the glass they bring out is always the size of her head. With both hands wrapped around her rum, she quietly sips, mismatched eyes occasionally glancing around the room to keep an eye on the patrons. Some of the Frost Giants in the area were more xenophobic than the rest and she couldn't afford to drop her guard around them. After all, last time Quintessa let her guard down she got stabbed. That wasn't going to happen anymore.

Kasyr s' arrival in town had been accompanied by him chugging back yet another of the elixirs he'd spent his teachers salary on. Whilst the swordsman is currently bundled in a rather thickly furred variant of his trademark trenchcoat, and practical swaddled in his flowing scarf- he stil felt it necessary to invest in a few potions meant to keep him warm. It had helped to make the climb far less daunting then it could have otherwise been, and the handful that still remained were apt to be put to good use when he challenged the wastelands in search of his lost companion. In the meantime, however, he had a meeting to attend to- and maybe some food and drink to get into his stomach. Which is more or less the mindset he carries when strides into Frostmaws tavern, a cheerful wave provided Drargon as he walks over to the bar. Settling a few coins on the countertop, alongside a request for the stew, the Kensai then turns his attention to the room proper,and realizes that Quintessa got there first. "Bonne Apres-midi. Or, you know. Afternoon."

Quintessa seems to be in better spirits today, a smile coming to her face when she recognizes her teacher. "Oh, hello, Master Azakhaer. How were your travels?" A tilt of her oversize shot glass makes for a greeting in place of a wave. She carefully stands and brings it over to set it on the bar next to Kasyr before she slides onto a stood. The changeling gives a soft shiver before pulling her fur-lined cloak tightly around her body. "How did it get so cold so quickly?" She complains, laughing at herself for not being fully prepared yet again. At least she had potions she could quaff as soon as she headed back out into the snow.

Kasyr offers up a rueful grin, his mottled gaze flicking about the room for another few moments, "Scenic, you know? It's been a while since i'd been here. For the fine food, ou the city in-" It's the sight of the steam coming from his own breath that arrests what the Kensai is saying, the scarf drawn up in front of his face almost self-consciously, "Good question. I think I'd have to ask S. . . " Really does feel a bit too much like home, doesn't it? "Someone here. You had the right idea in getting started on a drink, though. The wilderness es dreadful for those who feel the cold's bite. Good way to pass the time too, since last I recall- there was something you meant to say when we were away from Xalious." What this has mostly translated to, is that Kasyr's in need of a drink, and decides to order himself something along the lines if what Quintessa's having.

Quintessa flashes a pointed grin at him, "Yeah, it passes the time, but I try not to linger long. They get kind of touchy about me hanging around guard posts and the government buildings so I stick to the roads and forest." The hex blade's grin fades, the serious nature of Karasu's affliction coming to mind. "Yes, I was afraid to say anything at the tower. Afraid of who might be listening..." She sighs, reaches back, and takes a long drink of her giant rum before setting it back down. "Sooo, I'm sure you've noticed by now that Karasu gets kinda... Weird. Talking in strange voices, changing the color of her eyes randomly, and acting in a way that is outside of her normal behavior... Among other things.. And I'm pretty sure it has something to do with her birthmark..."

Kasyr s' order of a stew arrives, but he finds himself poking at it, rather then making any sort of headway. Instead, he settles himself into listening to Quintessa's story, content to remain quiet and just nod in agreement occasionally, "Hard to ignore, yes. She seemed -very- distressed over her eyes." Kasyr's next pause is more tied to the arrival of a likewise sized shot of rum, the likes of which he actually enthusiastically takes a gulp of, even as he does his best to ignore the quizzical look the bartender gives him. "Birthmark? I noticed you also said something..a bit odd at the arena, as well."

Quintessa eyes the stew before she halts the bartender so she can order one as well, her pale fingers already flicking the gold onto the bar. "One for me, too, much appreciated." Slowly, her attention returns to Kasyr, "What was I saying? Oh! Her birthmark, yeah." She does her best to finish off her rum, but spills just a little bit of it. "Geeze," she flicks it off her fingers before tunring back to the Kensai. "Just here, on her neck," The changeling points near her collar bone, "She has a birthmark that I swear to you looks like the Eye of Vakmatharas. I even questioned her father about it, and he only confirmed my suspicion. He was very dodgey about the whole thing."

Kasyr is just sort of taking a very prolonged sip of the rum, that doesn't really end until the words 'Vakmatharas' exit Quinn's mouth. "Uuhhh." His attempts at resuming drinking only end with some undignified sputtering, however, as the swordsman finds himself asking, "Father? Dodgy? Es he a cultist? I, uh, er- don't have the best track record with Vakmatharas cultists." Let's out an exhale, sets the glass down on the table, and then gestures first to the left, and then to the right with both his hands, emphasizing, "Like the overly enthusiastic murder cult, type cultists. Not the day to day worshipper types, you know?" Kasyr isn't quite sure if that's really clarified anything, but at this point, he's gotten far enough off-topic that even he's realized it, "Anyways, So, what does having that mark -mean-? Also, ...how many times has this happened? Like there's the Arena, your spar- et, someone came in while you were uh, busy being perforated, and seemed less...surprised, et more...resigned? Exasperated?" They hadn't stayed long, really.

Quintessa shrugs as she watches her stew be scooped into a bowl, her mismatched eyes flickering back and forth between it and the man that spoke to her. "I don't think so. I think he might be acting alone. I mean, I never -see- any culty stuff happening around the tower." She moves her glass to the side as her bowl arrives, and she immediately picks up her spoon. "Yeah, I don't like cultist either. Too conformist. I preferer a more personal and independent form of worship. Anyway, there was the time at the tournament and our spar, like you say. It happened during the assault on Trist'oth too, but you had been deafened, so you didn't hear her voice. And that man...?" She tries to think back to that day, but her memories are a bit hazy. "There was Magik? And I swear I heard Kaaname's voice... I'm sorry. It's hard to remember."

Kasyr s' stomach grumbles in protest, and he finally gives in to his appetite and starts to munch on the stew. He thought better on a full stomach, anyways- especially after he's started to drink. "Oui, Magik was there- vomiting up enough tar that we'd be stocked up on torch fuel for months, en fait. But there was another fellow who stopped in shortly. Something about 'Not again', before he was right out of there. I had my hands a bit full, or I'd have inquired, en fait. Not like teaching the class came with a lot of notes." Was it due to a lack of due Diligence on the Kensai's part, however, or had incident reports been swept under the carpet. Given how things had been looking lately, he was personally starting to lean towards the former. As for the source of the voice, Kasyr hadn't really gotten much more than a glance given what was going on, but he's at least able to (un)helpfully ask " ...Brown ...hair? Tall-ish?" You sound so sure of yourself there, buddy. "..'hem. Anyways, You said he confirmed things. What do you mean by that, exactement? Does he know what it es, what it's currently...doing?"

Quintessa gobbles down her stew like a mad woman, only to confirm what Kasyr was saying. Her spoon clatters against her bowl as she returns them to the table. "Ywah," she says before swallowing and wiping her mouth, "Mhm, that has to be Provost Esoterica Kaaname Tsuji. That's Karasu's father. I'm pretty sure he knows everything but he wouldn't tell me."

Kasyr is taking his time at this point, despite how much he wants to mirror Quintessa's enthusiastic devotion to the food, " Does Karasu know, en fait? She seemed, a bit.. uh . . . confused about things, as it were. Et whilst I figured she might know something, I also didn't want to upset her given, you know, " The kensai scratches at the back of his head, before making an offhanded waving motion with the spoon bearing hand, losing a portion of his meal to the counter. "Uh. Recent events. Is there anything else tied to this you think I should know- ou . . .?" That said, the Kensai decides now's a good time to finish the meal before he gesticulates the rest of it into oblivion.

Quintessa watches him wave the spoon around, a smirk growing as a large glob splatters on the bar top. "Honestly, she seemed kind of clueless. I made an attempt to get info out of her before I just went to her father. I've been meaning to talk to her about stuff but we never seem to have any free time..." This brought a pang of sadness to the changeling and she frowns. "It's fine, once this war is over I'll be able to relax a bit." She reaches to grab her spoon again but lingers there, thinking back on something. "I know the paladin that looked after her was called Zahrani, I met her during the tournament but I don't know much other than that." She slowly brings a mouthful to her lips but pauses to speak, "I don't want to upset her anymore either."

Kasyr is doing that thing where someone nods along, while basically just picking the bowl up, and ladeling the soup into his mouth with the spoon. The climb up -did- work up an appetite, after all. It's only when he's done that he sets the bowl aside, and resumes drinking the dredges of the rum he has left, albeit at a more measured pace. Quintessa's remark about things relaxing does cause the Kensai to side-eye, if only slightly, though he does offer a "Mm. Mm-hm." as a vague sort of affirmation. " A break of sorts, whether it by a study one, or otherwise, might help with frayed nerves. ...Et thanks for the mention of the Paladin. Any lead I can follow es appreciated." That said, the Kensai settles the overly sized glass down on the taple, his hands folding over the mouth of it, "I take it that's a 'Don't bring it up with her, until there's a solution or more information', then?" A little salute is offered here, as a possible affirmation of the implied request.

Quintessa lifts her bowl to scoop the rest of the stew into her mouth, scraping the bottom with her spoon. After she devours her prey she lets the bowl rest in front of her. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking. After all, I'm not sure the things we say in front of her aren't also be heard by whatever it is that's controlling her. If it thinks we're trying to undermine it there's no telling what could happen."

Kasyr gnaws down slightly on his lip. Whilst there is a dangerous impulse that might contemplate the idea of doing so intentionally, and seeing if he might be able to communicate with whatever it is, or figure out it's intentions- the amount of times he's endangered his apprentices is still looming largely at the back of his mind, effectively snuffing out that particular 'gem' of genius. "Yeah. Thank you for this this. It helps, a fair bit. Anyways, we probably ought to see if anyone else has arrived- so we can get to hunting my errant ...comrade. I'm curious how well she's going to stand up to the tales left behind." Kasyr's moving to get up from the bartop when his attempts at avoiding Drargon's scrutiny finally fail, and he finds himself meeting the man's gaze. He can see the question that's about to be asked, and the raw edge that creeps into his voice is all but unavoidable, " It's. Not. Her." And here he'd been hoping that growing a bit older, and bundling up would avoid this awkwardness. "I'm sorry." is all he feels inclined to add, before he's already disengaging himself before more can be said, and brusquely making his way to the door, those normally perky ears of his peeled back as he braves the cold again.

Deep Snow

The snow here dramatically deepens and those of human size find that they have become half submerged. Each movement is difficult and tiresome as you struggle to continue, the snow itself finds ways to drift into the cracks of your clothes or armor, giving that extra little surprise of ice to skin. You may travel to the east, south, or to the west.

Kasyr curses under his breath as he stumbles forward in his step, nearly falling forward into yet another of the many snowdrifts that make up this portion of Frostmaws outskirts. Whatever cold the glacial kingdom had hinted at on his way up the mountain, it paled to what the outskirts had to offer to those unprepared. The chill wind lapped at the bits of his face that were exposed, seeking egress into what bit of comfort the Kensai's coat provided, even as snow gradually found itself packed into his boots, and the bottom of his pants. What's worse, was that the Swordsmans hands were absolutely killing him, as he'd decided it was absolutely a judicious use of his time to go and make a snowman, while he'd awaited the arrival of the members who'd answered his call for aid. Those potions he'd been using to warm himself during his stay were running low, at this point- in part due to how long it had taken him to pinpoint roughly what he was looking for. He still felt it worthwhile to chug down his third last, welcoming the feeling of warmth that spread through his form, "Would have preferred whiskey, enfin." He nudges the snowman for emphasis, and it droops a bit to the side. "Yes, well.

Quintessa had been in the area anyway. After speaking with Kasyr in the tavern she felt it prudent to better prepare for the blistering cold while they waited for the rest of the Mage's Guild to heed their call. Equipped with fur lined leather armor and tinted goggles, the changeling rides upon her golden cockatrice, Bloodbeak, as she searches the area. The Kensai hadn't exactly told her where to meet him, but she was good at tracking him down all the same. Soon enough, the three meter tall bird would stomp into the area, his large talons scooping up and tossing snow in his wake until Quintessa spotted Kasyr and she tugs his reins to signal to him to slow. Bloodbeak halts only a couple meters away, his enchanted armor glowing a visible orange as the hex blade's magic keeps him warm, "Hello there, Teacher," the strange girl says, lifting her goggles to get a better look, "I see you've made a friend."

Lanlan hated Frostmaw. It was cold! Yet he was here on a mage's guild assignment. For him, it was completely optional; borderline whimsical. Had he evolved in the years since he'd tortured himself here? Was there, perhaps, a beauty hidden in the snow he couldn't appreciate until now? No. But it was far away. And his enemy's enemies were here somewhere. The elves that were forced to relocate in the aftermath of a war. Luckily he was pretty effectively disguised, him participating in that war didn't need to discourage him from getting away. Layer upon layer of cloth and feather kept him wrapped and warm. And a bag full of magic orbs kept him dry with a weak invisible force that kept his enemy snowflakes at bay. He only had a rough idea of where he'd be meeting his colleagues, but his luck was in finding a golden feather. He knew then Quintessa and her cockatrice were about. It took some time, but he tracked its prints, and followed them to the spellblades. A bit out of breath, he didn't bother wasting the energy vocalizing. His xalious wood staff wiggled in a loop on his back, and the snowman piped up, "Lanlan, here. Tell me our objective."

Kasyr already has to consider the fact that Quintessa is just barely taller than him. Now she's just plain dwarfing him. "I think as far as companions go, you may have come away with the better deal, Madamoiselle." Lanlan's arrival heralds Kensai stashing the discarded bottle -into- the snowman, before he clasps his hands in front of himself - and tries to inconspicuously pull his hands into his sleeves. "Alright, well. That makes all of us. As for why we're here, it es to retrieve a colleage of mine. You may be familiar with the name Luffy, but if you're not, it's suffice to say that she es a... dragon with a disagreeable disposition. I wish to see if I can drag her out of whatever Lair she's found for herself here, and remind her of a prior existing agreement. Might expedite pending matters, as it is." Kasyr tries not to allow for too much of a pause before he adds, "I thankfully have an idea of where she's lairing, as there's a region where larger creatures have been found occasionally- brutally murdered, but wholly untouched for their meat, or furs." It's only when he's done speaking that he begins to scrutinize Lanlan. He seems really fa- right, eyebrows. "Didn't you have a Lantern?"

Quintessa turns her head upon hearing a familiar name spoken by the snowman and a small smile grew on the changeling's face. "Lanlan?" Had the hex blade actually missed him? "Wow, I haven't seen you in ages!" She was certainly happy to see him, "Working with you on assignments is great. Lanlan always delivers." She nods her head approvingly before she dismounts her bird and joins Kasyr's side. Bloodbeak begins to idly preen whatever feathers he can reach between plates of armor while they talk. "Luffy the dragon? No, I can't say I have any relevant information for this job but I offer my assistance all the same. You know I'm not great at diplomatic stuff, right? Of course you know that..." Her mismatched eyes flicker back to Lanlan and she raises her own, normal sized eyebrows. "Lantern?" What an odd question.

Lanlan grumbled something under his breath, "They never tell you it's a [expletive] dragon until you're knee deep in snow." Maybe no one heard him, they weren't meant to. And his voice was fairly muffled through the cotton scarf worn over his face. "No, I'm not familiar with the name or reputation," he says, amplifying his magically so it comes out crystal clear. As is his desire in most working environments, everything he wore was slate gray, like his skin, so only his scarlet eyes broke the monochrome. And of course his eyebrows beligerently arced away from his clothes; sharp jagged lines beside an otherwise rounded sihlouette. "A lantern?" Yes, there was exactly one instance he carried a lantern. As a prop. For one fight. "Yes, but I've outgrown it." He offers a wide berth to Bloodbeak, as some animals seemed to take an instant dislike to him, for whatever reason. He tries to address Quintessa warmly, but it's purely manifest. "Quintessa...! Has it been very long? I honestly haven't noticed. I've been...dormant. For some time." It isn't that he has any reason -not- to be happy to see her, but his time spent being dominated by Haladavar passed like a dream, and time passed unmeasured. Sometimes it felt like hours passed in that time. Others, like an eternity. "Okay. Anything we should be especially prepared for? When we do find...Luffy."

Kasyr nods slightly as Quintessa espouses some of Lanlan's virtues, helping to place the man a bit more firmly in the swordsmans memory, the Kensai's cat ears twitching in time to the conversation "Right, yes. Of course." It's not like Kasyr didnt know the Illusionist by name, or something like that. That'd be irresponsible of him to have continued to put off meeting other members of staff at the mage Tower. Just like it would be immensely irresponsible of him for having no real plan of attack or approach when confronting a historically vicious Ice Dragon that equates curing boredom to mass Homicide. Maybe, Lanlan will feel right at home, given his dating track record. "There's a cave a bit further ahead. I believe that's where she's laired. Getting there et not being tormented, eaten ou eviscerated by the locals es likely tbe be the easy part. Diplomacy... may be shortlived? I've left her to her own devices for a while, et she might not be fond of seeing me return. Still, She es not magically inclined, at all, so that es one thing you won't have to worry about. Just uh, be mindful that she es rather strong, even for a dragon." There's something else the swordsman looks like he wants to say, but it's causing him that 'just on the tip of the tongue' expression.

Quintessa crosses her arms under her fur lined invisibility cloak. "So, basically what you're saying is that a REALLY strong dragon that you 'left to their own devices' is who we need to speak to, and they might not be fond of your return." Quintessa is not amused. She's read countless books on dragon care taking care of Berrentam the baby dragon and knows much about behavior and temperament, among other things. "Is she a colleague or some pet you abandoned and now resents you? That's a really important distinction to make right now."

Lanlan pulls down his scarf exposing his nose for just long enough to inhale deeply through his nostrils. Ah. That's what snow smelled like. Fresh, and mostly nothing. "I can help us avoid the 'locals'," Lanlan says as he wills his staff out of its loop. As it hovers before him he explains, "Just stay close and take us on a safe path." When it was time, he'd focus his intent on the wooden conduit and supply the somatic component with tricky eyebrow maneuvers. A shroud would fall over them. This environment made it easy; behind them, snowflakes drifted lazily and disappeared into the billions that fell before. He would put that image around them, and hopefully mask their scents with copious amounts of 'fresh, almost nothing' that he wiffed earlier. "I notied you don't seem to have anything like a giant net. Or...muzzle?" How was this going to work. He was never a dragon wrangler before, and Quintessa made some excellent points. "Actually Kasyr, you should go ahead, and call on us in the unlikely event that you need our help."

Kasyr can't help but afford Quintessa a wry grin, "You say the word pet, et I think that it would take the necromancer guild to stitch the lot of us back together again." With that said, he pushes up from the snowman, watching dispassiontely as it crumples a bit further, "She is a creation of the Lady Frostmaw. Once whose vicious antics put her at ends with her maker. We worked out a partnership that was fundamentally built around, well ... " Kasyr gently nudges a shoulder to Quintessa in almost a shrug, his words dropping to a tone that might make it harder for Lanlan to hear. " ... Property damage et murder." The swordsmans still got to get this troop moving though, which is why he'sonce more on the move, though he at least takes the time to spin in place so he can backpeddle at a more leisurely pace, and still hold a conversation, " Frostmaw's been a sort of years long violent vacation. ...That she might not want to come to an end. But, you know, maybe, you know, the promise of a genocide might be enough." Oh, hell, he's losing them. "I mean, I don't think you'd need to worry...too much? Just stand on ...the opposite direction from moi, you'll be fine." That is only marginally more reassuring, "Good plan though, very much approve. On y va?" ...Yeah, he clearly wants to get them moving before plan :: There is no plan- is fully unveiled.

Quintessa gives Bloodbeak a couple of -click-clicks- with her tongue and he moves to idly follow them as they walk away She wanted her mouth around in case she needed to make a quick escape. "I know better than to call dragons pets. It's unethical." She snickers to herself of the irony of Quintessa of all people speaking of ethics. "Not that you would care, but I'll avoid the word all the same." The hex blade looks to Lanlan, nodding her head slowly, "Yes, let's avoid the locals. I'm not exactly the most inconspicuous person in the world, in case you haven't noticed. I can use all the help you can give me." Mismatched eyes cannot help but drift back to Kasyr as he continues. "Well, I actually hope things don't get -too- dicey. You know how stabby I get when things start going south. I don't want to mess anything else up."

Kasyr said to Quintessa, "I care about ethics. Inconsistently, but still."

Lanlan was way ahead of him. Every Lan-plan began with him standing far away form his allies. 'Tactical positioning', it was called. A bit of focus was put into the veil that hopefully would continue to obscure them, too much to decipher the latter part of Kasyr's description of Luffy. But he was forming a picture anyway. It was totally benign! Luffy was whimsical, emotional, proud, and dignified. Truly a being of virtue. He unconsciously upped his pace, he believed he knew how to talk to these people. "No?" he recalls the vision of her at the mouth of an alley in Cenril, drenched in Razurath blood and proud. Even when he expected her he wasn't ready for that. "No. Not very." He confirms. As he absently moves more in line with them, he consoles her. "I wouldn't worry about any plans going South." He didn't say why he had a feeling things would be okay, or that he actually did think they would be. But he was beginning to suspect that maybe there was no plan. No plan can't go South, and Quintessa can't stray from No plan. Was Kasyr a radical genius? No. This must be a fluke.

Kasyr has recently been taught that not only will most plans not survive contact with the enemy, they also won't necessarily survive contact with an ally. Luffy has a unique standing as a 'Frenemy' which makes her a double whammy as far as plotting out circuitous actions out. Being a combination of perpetually burnt out, exhausted, and tipsy -does- help hamper the overthinking aspect too, even if the Kensai is looking a little bit better today. "Well, I think in this circumstance, stabbing would be considered the right course of action if negotiations fail." Kasyr adjusts his goggles over his eyes as he turns back to face the wind, silently glad for the fact that Lanlan is making things ever so much more expedient for them. There's also a small degree of appreciation for the relentless nature of Frostmaw itself, as the constant snowfall seeks to devour their tracks- providing would be prowlers that may linger on the outskirts of this region little to pursue them with. Though, as they draw closer to the cavern, and the winds die down- it may become apparent their are other reasons why creatures may currently steer clear of the region. A heap of dead animals lay practically strewn about the cavern entrance, some of which lay wholly devastated- while others appear to have been maimed to the verge of death and then discarded. Kasyr decides now might be a good time to turn back to face the grope and provide a bit of a pep rally, "..Well, at least we know she hasn't had nothing to do, recently?"

Ice Cave Entrance

The cave here is slick and each sound seems to echo out against the walls, making any movements you wish to be unknown, very known instead. Laying along the floor of the cave,you find several animal furrs and cooking pots, with little examination, its clear that this area is inhabited by something other than beast. You may leave the cave by traveling north, or move further into the cave by heading south.

Quintessa looks back in the direction of Bloodbeak only to see that her mount has abandoned her. He's not coming anywhere near a dragon cave. No matter, it's not the first time she's had to track him down, and likely it won't be the last. Perhaps it's better this way, Bloodbeak would only be a liability. Following Kasyr's lead, she pulls her own, tinted goggles over her mismatched eyes. "Well, I'm glad you two have faith in me." Was it really faith? Maybe they knew they could utilize her in the best way possible. It was known that she was really good at killing, and she proved that again at the Battle of Trist'oth. "Perhaps we -can- appeal to her sense of violence." A spike-heeled boot carefully steps over a dead frost drake, "I mean, that's how the Mage's Guild has bought my loyalty for so long. If we can just convince her to kill the things we want, this should be fine."

Lanlan would agree. Every person party to a plan was a variable, which is why there were always the plans his allies were aware of (except in this case because there wasn't one), and the many they weren't. It was in everybody's best interest, especially Lanlan's, to design these contingencies. Still, he felt obligated to voice a prudent opinion here. "We shouldn't stab Luffy." It seemed to obvious to him to explain, and he wanted to be clear in case they were being serious. He hoped they weren't. He slows as they approach the mouth of the cave. Now, the only locals were dead or dying, so his floating staff trembles and sputters, and his veil vanishes. He pulls his scarf under his chin too. A deep breath to steady his nerves and endure the new scents they meet. Not as strong as they could be due to the cold dry air, but still potent in his arsenal. Kasyr interrupts his meditation with...a joke? Because it looks like she's been busy. Lanlan rolls his eyes. "I agree," Lanlan says considering Quin's take on the plan. Of course she'll be a liability after that, and a menace to the people in Venturil. All of them." But they won't mind when they're dead, a worthy sacrifice to expunge the Razurath from the world. "Every conflict has losses. These will be tactically acceptable." Even Lanlan knew a city razed to rubble wasn't acceptable. But who lives in Venturil anyway. "I think the polite thing to do here is knock," he says at the mouth of the cave. There's no door. Lanlan taps his staff solidly through the snow and into rock. Three times. Each resounding bang is amplified grandly, a sound that carries deep into the cave. By the third, whatever might have been slumbering inside should be awake. "Or I suppose we could've sent a letter? Hmm."

Kasyr 's immediate reaction to everything was just to stick his head into the cave, if only because he at least wanted to get a good gander of just what Luffy looked like after all these years. And yet, what he's faced with is a decidely empty, and surprisingly shallow looking cavern. I mean, there's certainly the hallmarks of the Black Ice Dragons passing, given the plethora of corpses decorating it like some morbid renovators sickest fantasy. The only reason the Kensai seems contrary to consider it abandoned, is the rather large pile of crumpled armour, gold, and discarded trinkets- that have clearly been collected off travelers. At Lanlan's suggestion and ensuing forgoing off the stealthy scouting approach, Kasyr's just left gesturing between himself and the illusionist, "You know, I think you have this. Just practice your manners a few more times, et tu can smooth this over for her when she arrive..." The distinct scraping noise that echoes off from the inside of the cave does a pretty adequate job of making that 'S' sound -very- suspiciously like a prolonged 'F' . A quick cursory glance back into tha cave also confirms the swordsmans supicion, as the polished surface of the caverns rear wall shifts back with the tinkle of ice. "Mm. Mm. Yup." Kas is just going to lean against that cavern mouth and get his bearings now.

Quintessa moves with her hand gripped to the hilt of her katana. Even if she was going to refrain from stabbing Luffy, the hex blade always liked having the option just in case. When it comes to the people of Venturil she gives little regard. She'd never traveled that far west, and it looked like her first visit was going to me in the midst of an assault. "I guess politeness is a good start." The changeling nods her head, "Drow sure are good at politics... Wait, does this count as politics? I don't see why it shouldn't-" Quintessa is so busy rambling that she almost doesn't hear the noises coming from inside the cave but she abruptly stops and takes a few, slow steps back. "I-is she home?" The strange girl whispers to her companions, goggle-covered eyes of blue and hazel flickering back and forth between them. Quintessa's right hand already wants to reach for her sword, but she abstains, letting it linger beneath her cloak for the time being.

Lanlan has committed to his angle. Or at least felt he should appear that way. And he had an idea of what was transpiring in this moment. That wall at the back of the suspiciously shallow looking cavern? Not a wall! "If this is politics," he says glancing from Kasyr to Quin, "Then I think we're okay." He nods and smiles and blinks, drowning the notion that this may not be politics. "I hope this is politics." But if it wasn't, he wanted Luffy to know this wasn't an ambush. Then he clears his throat and massages it gently, imparting some magic to make his voice effortlessly louder and clearer. "Well here she is Kasyr! Now you can say it to her face!" He gently places his hand over his heart. "I'm Lanlan, and I am -very- impressed. No. Not impressed, that isn't the right word." He doesn't have to fake sincerity, he was feeling it. Running with it. "Ms Luffy? I want...I want to commend you. I've seen a -lot-." He nods at his friends, encouraging them to agree? Right? He's seen a lot right? They agree. "They know. But a power of this magnitude?" He pulls off his hood and takes a shallow bow, hopefully the dramatic pauses between each step of his discourse makes it seem more theatrical, profound. "It dwarves ALL kingdoms!" He was confident in his ability to shmooze, and felt it was important to appear committed, so he took no steps back, even though he wanted to take ten...thousand. "Or maybe...except one? Maybe except -one- kingdom." This was important. If he was right about her, she took pride in her power, and hopefully liked to show it off. By not naming which mysterious kingdom it was that she couldn't topple on a whim, he could entice her to ask.He could also be wrong, and his colleagues were about to die while he escaped. But then he'd have to find his way back through the snow alone and that would be terrible.

Kasyr is busy crossing his arms in front of himself and trying to -vigorously- cue to Lanlan to ixnay on the amenay part, but it's a bit too late. The languid motions of Luffy's unfurling limbs grow in speed, enough so to shave patches of ice off the wall & send frigid stalactites shattering across the the cavern floor. When Luffys foreclaws strike into the floor, there's an unpleasent scrape of nails along a chalk board, as her Lithe, almost sharp form continues to emerge from the back of the cave, but Lanlan's insistence on talking slows her briefly, her crimson eyes falling onto the mage. When her voice emerges, there's the distinct undertone of a growl, though every so often, something closer to a self-indulgent purr washes over the syllables, "Why should a wolf heed the prattle of a lamb? Why would the tide care for the castles built of sands." Her gaze flickers over to Quintessa for a moment, and then abruptly settles onto Kasyr. The kensai, for the life of him isn't quite sure what to read into it from, but for a moment, he'd almost have placed it as some combination of confusion, dissapointment . . . and then something far more cat-like that he was not really appreciative of. And the way the words roll off her tongue, in a poisonously mocking tongue, "Gnat. You are . . . smaller then before." For such a large creature, she can move so gracefully and quietly at times, her claws now gliding forward along the floor as she speaks, "So Diminished. Hollow. " Kasyr's right hand is currently reflexively grasping at thin air- but that patch of thin air is looking suspiciously distorted. "Discarded." The dragon, for her part, seems wholly unconcerned, one of her claws coming to rest overtop her pile of loot, as her attention flickers back to Lanlan, "is there more to your performance?"

Quintessa grinds her teeth together out of nervousness as she eyed the emerging dragon. She imagined what it would be like to be a giant killing-machine. A scaled, flying horror with only one desire; To kill. A slow smile forms on her face. Being Luffy would be fun. The changeling's amusement quickly fades when Luffy makes eye contact with her and she stares up, blankly until the dragon looks away. With furrowed brows, Quintessa imagines what it would be like to be Luffy again, but this time she was serious. Would what Lanlan was saying matter to Dragon-Tessa? He was certainly going on about how great she was, but she doesn't need to be reminded of that. She knows she's great. What about Kasyr? Quintessa's mismatched eyes flicker to him and she ponders what Luffy had said to him. "Diminished? Hollow? Discarded?" she mutters, wondering what was meant by that. The hex blade expected more from someone called a Vampire Revenant when she read about them in the compendiums, but she hadn't had the courage to question the Kensai about it. Now what not a great time either, but that would have to be a subject for another day. For now she would concentrate on the dragon. "We have people we want killed," the changeling said, a sudden confidence filling her, "We thought you might find it entertaining to join us in the slaughter." She hoped it was a good idea to try to relate to the giant killing machine, after all, Tessa was a fellow murder enthusiast. They should get along, right?

Lanlan succeeded he thought, because there was a conversation before the evisceration. He was also too confident that things were going his way to heed Kasyr's warnings even if he -could- understand them. But he appreciated a good insult, even if he didn't know what she meant regarding Kasyr. Gnat was something he could remember. "I didn't realize you two were so close you had pet names," he says with a sly grin to the 'revenant'. He had to close his eyes and angle his ears away to weather the screech of her talons, and stifle a wince as the first stalactite shattered on the frozen floor. Destruction for her was effortless, and he was wary, but trying not to look it. He takes a faux-confident step forward before he speaks. "I think you're too modest," he says to Luffy while bowing his head slightly. "Nothing as dull and simple as a wolf, or as slow and lazy as a tide could gain any benefit whatsoever from listening their inferiors." Should he change tactics? Was she so sure of her power that flattery would be pointless? He hoped not. Something Kasyr said earlier let him think she had lost at least one fight. "But a goddess would answer the prayer of a mortal, wouldn't it? If it served her." A much more appropriate analogy. As if on cue, Quintessa joins him, cutting to the chase and revealing the actual purpose of their visit. This would perhaps be a good time for him to get away. With her attention on the changeling, he could gradually change his hues until they matched his surroundings, and then slip away. But her focus only lingers as long as necessary, and then returns to him. "Performance? No, I can't act," he lies, "it's like Quintessa said! We'd like to see -your- performance."

Kasyr couldn't help but roll his eyes at Lanlan's mention of closeness, a motion that seems to be almost synchronous with the dragons own derisive snort. But whathever bit of laxness he'd been allowing himself is obliterated in a moment, as Luffys forelimb reaches over to her goresoaked hoard, and begins to compress it. "...Pet names." The dry humour that seems to echoe from that voice is entirely at odds with the oppressive murderous rage the Kensai feels, and the grating of metal as she continues to crush that mass of metal. "How...quaint." The look that flickers between Lanlan & Kasyr is far from charitable, and even the grand analogy of godhood seems to fall short. "The tales you told of me, to these children." And then there's a scream of metal and ice as that wad of metal is sent hurtling at the entryway of the cavern, bursting apart into a wad of metallic shrapnel. It's a good enough cue as any for Kasyr to fully materalize the sheathed katana into his grasp- though his priority rests more on tackling Quintessa into the snow. Lanlan's dissapearing act has also not really been met by an appreciative audience, either- given the roar that emanates from the dragon as she bursts out of the cavern on the heels of her trophies, a snarl in her voice, "I'll grant you a finale, then." Kasyr is almost wanting to be proud of that line, but he's just going to focus on like, rolling off his student and - "I see you." Whilst he silently prays that it's meant for the illusionist, the fact of the matter is when the dragons spiked tail sweeps around to clear the area, she's rather pointedly staring at the Kensai, whose in the process of getting to his feet. Kasyr can at least say that he didn't say anything to make the situation worse. He let everyone else dig the grave for him.

Quintessa winces when Lanlan says the word 'pet' and a pale hand slaps her head. "Oi... Did you really- Hugh!" The changelings words fall short as Kasry tackles her to the snow. Her tall form lies sprawled out under her teacher, mismatched eyes not filled with appreciation of the closeness this time. She sits up as the Kensai rolls off of her and she is about to complain when her attention snaps to the spiked mace swinging towards them. "Tail!" she yells, dropping back down into the snow as it whooshes over her body. She hopes Kasyr has enough time to dodge, but he was a strong lad, he can handle himself. As soon as the attack is finished, she kips up, spiked heels digging into the snow as she lands on her feet. Pale fingers grip around the hilt of her sword as she moves closer to retaliate when she hesitates. Perhaps it was not yet time for violence. "Wait!" she yells up to Luffy, moving to stand right before her, "If it is a finale you want, don't waste it here, on these worms. Come with us to Venturil! Inflict your wrath upon the Razurath and wipe them from existence! Make the entire region flood in their foul blood! Tear them limb from limb and hear them beg for mercy. Mercy they will never have!" Quintessa's eyes are filled with madness as she stares up at the dragon. She's already in tail range and getting closer. Maybe this gambit would work, maybe not, but the hex blade is prepared to take her chances.

Lanlan doubts he said anything to afford this sudden reaction. But he can't afford to scold his allies when there's shrapnel blasting toward him! He had to be scarce. He was somewhat ready for this though, and falls backwards, flat on his back. A perfect double of himself is left standing where he was, and while he flattens himself against the ground to avoid the debris, he sees some coinage, a wrinkled steel gauntlet, and some kind of bauble pass through the illusion with no resistance. But it reacts! Tiny slots open up in its forehead, a gaping hole drips gooey red where a lung should be. Lanlan 2 staggers back, but seems unphased by his many wounds. Until his blood starts shooting out his body like from a pressurized cannon, hosing the walls, floor, and dragon with imaginary blood. Then he looks very sad, and starts stumbling and spinning, and regaining his footing. Propelled, apparently, by the pressurized water that hopefully serves as a vivid enough distraction for Real Lanlan to scurry out of range of her tail. Once Lanlan's hidden behind the mouth of the cave entrance, the enormous pressure forcing geysers of blood out of the illusion apparently dies down, and the illusion falls. Blood merely trickles and pools, a background madness to Quintessa's.

Kasyr would like to catch a break, sometimes. Unfortunately, the best he could manage in this situation is the threadbare interpositioning of the sheathed blade he was clutching into the path of the tail- which results in a more literal break, as he finds himself sent hurling back, rather then torn asunder. There's the audible sound of his arm fracturing up along it's length, and can feel his wrist give way, the sword slipping from his grasp as he's sent rolling back through the drifts, a string of curses at his lips. Luffy moves to hurry after, striding forward like a cat might after prey, and yet two things conspire to steal her attention. One one hand, a spectral Lanlan explodes into such a copious amount of blood, that it would be right at home in a Tarantino movie, whilst on the other, Quintessa has the outright Gall to move towards her. Of these, the Illusion may be a bit more shortlived then intended, as whilst the dragon doesn't wield magic, she's familiar enough that the display elicits a sneer, and coaxes her into slamming a forelimb directly on top of the phantasm. The lack of resistance only makes the expression more pronounced, as her attention redirects towards Quintessa, eyes still narrowed, "You spin a pretty tale. " And then her forelimb lifts up, and moves to collide down towards the position the changling occupies, albeit in such a manner that she's fall between the claws. "Is that all?" Kasyr, for his part, is using this time to shakily gather himself to his feet, his right arm hanging limply at his side, and his left already in the process of clutching yet another summoned sword. The Kensai doesn't quite sound as dreadful as he looks, at least, "It -should- be enough. If your word es still worth anything. We have an agreement, after all. Unless you're content to run amok here, with the wildlife- et wildlings." If Quintessa -is- anywhere near those claws still, she's definitely going to be seeing them flexing.

Quintessa tenses when the claws fall near her, but she makes no movements to run. As they slam into the snow she flinches, the wet slush flying in every direction. A slight grimace remains as her body is covered in freezing mud as she wipes it away, pulling the googles off her mismatched eyes so she can better see. "It is no tale." the changeling argues with Luffy, her voice still full of conviction, but she stops speaking when she notices the flexing of the dragon. Maybe she should run? No, it's too late for that. "What more can you ask for? No matter what prior agreements you might have with anyone, a chance to enforce violence should be it's own reward. Take from the Razurath whatever plunder you want as well. Nobody can stop you. This is simply a chance to expand your territory." Quintessa wishes she could keep track of what Lanlan and Kasyr were doing, but her mismatched eyes are locked on the dragon, afraid Luffy will pounce on her the moment she looks away.

Lanlan realized now would be an appropriate time to change tactics, because it very well could've been something he said that triggered Luffy! And she was responding well to Quintessa's brazen and sincere bloodlust. It probably matched her own. So instead he falls back to support, painting a picture on the wall of the cavern to accompany Quintessa's oration. A scene of Venturil. On the streets, Razurath soldiers run over the broken bodies of their legion, strewn haphazardly between buildings. They come to an intersection, turn a corner and see Luffy. She towers over them, ignorant to their presence as she presses a claw through the breastplate of a soldier pinned under a foreleg. Their volley of spears ricochet off her adamant hide, and she whips her tail. A building crumbles and falls on the soldiers. Hopefully this vision of horror would look more like revelry for Luffy; and an enticing glimpse of what might come.

Kasyr is doing his utmost to focus on presenting a stoic appearance, doing his utmost to appear as ready as ever to confront what comes next. Inwardly, he feels his bones aching, broken and otherwise, as the cold continues to perversely harass him- making him genuinely long for another taste of the warming draught he'd brought along with him. Luffy, on the other hand, seems morbidly pleased with events as they are, Lanlan's scene certainly provides a captivating display for the dragon. The feral pleasure she seems to take out of the display, out of the memory of that sort of pandemonium is almost palpable, and Quintessa's narration certainly doesn't hurt things either, "Perhaps." No doubt, it's Lanlan and Quintessa's presence that makes the next part easier, if only because of just how adamantly Kasyr feels the need to keep his masquerade going, and contribute his part. A stubborness that manages to force his feet into moving forward, " There's still work to be done. Are you really content to be -forgotten- out here, when this . . ., " For a brief moment, he tries to gesture to the illusiary scene, a shock of pain coursing through him before he readjusts and uses his sword bearing arm. " and more. Far more et worse, are going to be there." The reminder of the agreement in and of itself elicits little from the dragon at first, other than the beginning of a low snarl building in her throat. But there's something to be said for that promise of unconditional and unrestrained violence, the macabre display of what could be in front of her, and the promise of more and more to come. " I was growing bored of this place, anyways." Which is about the only warning the Kensai gets before Luffy bounds forward, sending a spray of snow billowing up into the air as her wings spread out. Really, she looks altogether confident about where she's heading off to, which is pretty worrisome to the swordsman, given she doesn't look like she's waiting for anyone to hitch a ride, "NOT RIGHT NOW!" The Kensai would mildly like to die now, please and thank you- but what he settles on instead is a slower way to go- as he simply dives to the dragon and effectively hitches a ride by taking ahold of one of her tail spikes as she passes by. Suffice to say, this is not how he wanted to spend today.

Quintessa was quite enjoying her morbid version of a pep rally. With Lanlan's pictures and sounds of the chaos in her background, she knows she is making a decent point for someone so filled with bloodlust. The changeling was even excited about the assault again herself. However, she has no idea what she's just promised Luffy and she has no idea if what she's suggesting will go over well with the Mage's Guild or not, but the die had been cast. There was no turning back. Her pale hands move up to rest on her hips as she smiles, looking really proud of herself until the dragon looks like she is about to start the assault right this second. "Oi!" she yells after Kasyr. Was it ever worth chasing after the dragon? Just let Luffy go, perhaps it would be a good head start for her... She doesn't have long to ponder this before instinct told her to follow her teacher's lead. "Is this -really- a good idea?" She asks, leaping up to grab her tail a little bit lower than the Kensai. "This is going to suck!" Quintessa somehow knew what was going to come next. She saw how fast this tail could be swung and the memory of that moment kept playing over and over in her mind, causing her to hug as tightly as she could to Luffy's tail. She didn't fancy blasting off again. Team Quintessa is absolutely anti-blasting off again.

Lanlan knew approximately nothing about riding living ice in a dragon's shape. But he did know a little about riding frost wyverns! Luckily, in both cases, riding was a bit of a strong word. Because he was too aware that he needed someone to guide him back to civilization through the miles of endless white desert. There was time for one short calculation: Better to die slowly of hunger and creeping cold? Or quickly of...anything. He knew which he'd prefer, so he took off to sprinting while his staff flipped into his hands. Wielding it like a fishing pole, he jiggles one end and focuses his intent until it looks floppy, like you do with a pencil. Except when he stopped jiggling, it stayed floppy! The opposite of what normally happens when you handle wood. A quick and minor transmutation went far with a medium as receptive as Xalious wood. Then he quickly spins to gather momentum and homerun swings. The flaccid staff stretches long as it whips diagonally through the air, catching an ankle. After looping around once, the staff self adheres, grows taut, and then struggles to elastic back to its original shape, slowly drawing Lanlan closer to Luffy. Until then, Lanlan dangles and spins and prays she flies high over any solid structures.

Kasyr is initially stuck between the process of trying to use the tail spine he's holding onto as a means of leveraging himself up onto the tail proper, and the simple act of holding on. That said, as much concentration as the act requires of him, especially given the brusque manner in which Luffys tail is waving back and forth as she gains momentum, he can manage to provide Quintessa an altogether sincere answer to her question, "Hells, no." He nearly doesnt finish the statement, as the dragon bounds forward, her body briefly sailing up over the snow, and no doubt lifting Lanlan off the ground- before dragging him back down into the snow drifts. For a brief moment, the Kensai's bounced up with the arc of the tail, but he manages to correct the motion, dragging himself so he's flopped over it's width- which helps when Luffy repeats the motion in a far more pronounced manner, as she properly takes off into the air. All at once, Kasyr's watching the ground shrink away beneath his feet, the already frigid chill of frostmaws now a hellish accompaniment to their flight, as the bracing winds press against them. The only thing Kasyr's grateful for is the manner in which her tail starts to straighten out and steady itself, the dragon seemingly singleminded in whatever path she's chosen. It at least makes the process of more properly pulling himself up and bracing against the tail spike a lot more manageable. It also means that Kasyr has a decent vantage point for watching the dangling Lanlan as he slowly reels in, and the almost absent minded manner in which Luffy wriggles that hind leg.

Quintessa is instantly regretting her life choices right now. She should have just let Kasyr handle this one his own and gone back to Xalious with Lanlan but here she is, hanging on for dear life on the tail of a murder-happy dragon. Mismatched eyes stare down at the ground as they are lifted higher and higher and the changeling frowns so hard that it looks like somebody has taken her pointed grin and flipped it upside down. "Well, at least you know how dumb this is!" She finally manages to yell at her teacher as Luffy's tail straightens out. Now was her chance to move higher up the dragon's tail and back. Making use of her unnaturally strong and sharp fingernails, the changeling begins to scale Luffy's scales, but the scale of this task was daunting. It certainly got easier and easier to climb the higher she got, so was almost caught up to Kasyr, "We have to stop her!" The hex blade yells again to her teacher, pointing out the obvious, "I'm not telling Gevurah if things go wrong again, she can just figure it out herself this ti- ahh!" A hand slips while she is climbing and she dangles one handed for a while before she's about to catch herself on one of Luffy's long, old damaged scales that jutted out more than the rest. This is when she notices that Lanlan is still following. "Lanlan!" she calls back, her voice muffled by the sound of the air whipping past them, "Can't you conjure up some kind of magic net or something!" Quintessa clearly doesn't understand how illusions work.

Lanlan attempts to lean back and straighten his legs skiing over snow banks. He looks good! For a while. While the grounds flat. When he's dragged through a drift of loose powder-fluff, he's glomped. He vanishes into it and emerges at the other side skipping on his side like a flat stone crossing a still pond. Reprieve comes when Luffy truly takes to the air, and its the penetrating icy wind that he battles now. He can barely hear Quintessa shouting at him over the whorls of air battering his face, but is reasonably sure they agree: this is awful, let's stop this. So he throws his voice, and a mouth suddenly forms on a spot where Quintessa's about to place her hand. Of course she slips! Anyone could forgive that it's weird. "Accident!" The mouth says with his voice. "I have a plan, I hope you can help with it." There's a pause, because Lanlan isn't sure if he's being dumb. "I've been wondering since Cenril if you have a magical knack for scaring people. If you can get Luffy to feel even a teency bit of anxiety, I think I can do something!" When the timing is right (and if he knew when that was), he would cast an illusion on an approaching hilltop in view. Or mountaintop, depending on their height at this point. A human clad in shining silver armor, bright orange hair, and...an eyepatch? Did she have an eyepatch? This phantasm has an eyepatch. As Luffy drew nearer, the double of Hildegarde would roar and transform into a giant silver dragon, almost exactly the way Lanlan saw it happen years ago. And she would appear to block Luffy's path in a game of chicken! But if Luffy couldn't be deterred, Hildegarde would evade so Lanlan could hopefully suspend the disbelief a little while. But he didn't know if Hilde still looked the same, or even if she was still alive.

Kasyr , if he had time, probably could have filled them in on the absolute brash and almost suicidal recklessness possessed of the creature. The way she had fought until her body had been at the verge of breaking- and how it had taken Satoshi to ensure that a messy conclusion wasn't reached. Fear -was- in Luffy's vocabulary, but more as something that she could instill in lesser creatures. Rathr than provide a terrifying obstacle, Lanlan had presented an obstacle, and one that might provide a worthy bit of sport. Rather than relent, or slow- Luffys passengers are apt to find themselves buffeted by a fresh gust of winds as the dragon brashly dives towards what she views as a challenger. Kasyr, already keenly aware of just how the dragon gets, is already in the process of calling forth another piece of his varied arsenal, a glimmer of gold surrounding his left arm as he calls an armoured vambrace into existence. Mostly, because this particular 'ornament' also comes with some rather wicked looking claws attached to it- which the Kensai proceeds to dig right into Luffys tail in an effort to better brace himself as she begins to twist and turn. " I am telling Gevurah literally nothing. This es off the books. She can be *Cough* Un *Cough* pleasently surprised by the results. "

Quintessa nods her head in Kasyr's direction before she blurts out, "That bitch actually had the nerve to slap me! I haven't forgotten. I'll never forget! I'm going to get her ba-ack!" Again, her speaking was interrupted but outside forces. Perhaps this is what was meant when he told her to stop monologuing. There wasn't even time left to speak. Throwing a quick thumbs up in Lanlan's direction (obviously that was the famous Drow sign language) the hex blade closes her eyes and focuses on the aura of the dragon. She had never tried to sway the emotions of such a powerful creature but she coulc think of literally nothing better. Quintessa knew fear, but she couldn't find any in Luffy's aura to amplify. Was there anything here she can work with? The bloodlust and aggression were right out, as was the lack of self-preservation. The changeling's only hope was to force fear onto her aura and hope it stuck. "Anrhegion tywyll, anrheg mam..." she slowly utters, her aura expanding slowly, wrapping around Luffy like a giant squid, searching, feeling for any kind of weakness. "Gwneud iddi deimlo'n ofnus, dangos ei therfysg!" she shouts, fueling her dark aura with her raw mana. Maybe this would work, but Quintessa assumes it going to go horrible wrong. Even the big silver dragon didn't seem to phase Luffy's swagger, how was her little hex going to work?

Lanlan amazed himself at his own genius. Giving Luffy something to chase? That he controlled!? Perfect. As long as he could maintain his focus, and think of what to do next. Without knowing the landscape was there anyplace he could actually lead her that would benefit them? He'd only know when he saw it, and didn't put too much effort into deciding, concentrating on Hildegarde. She could effectively move as fast as Lanlan could think, so as long as he could guide her to always to evade, maybe Luffy wouldn't find out she was an illusion. Of course Lanlan had no idea yet where this plan would lead. Would Luffy tire? Would she hunger? She was made of ice. But then he heard Quintessa's spellcasting, and decided to capitalize. Hildegarde suddenly dips mid flight, and performs a loop with such a small radius and at such a high speed, it should be -impossible- without wings breaking and tearing. She drops a forearm, and drags her giant hooked talons into Luffy's back, dragging them across the length of her spine. Lanlan can only guess at the sound it would make; so there's a rough grating noise as the black ice that is her hide appears to be pulverized, leaving gaping jagged fissures in their wake. Can -that- scare Luffy?

Kasyr is at least somewhat familiar with Hildegarde, even if Luffy couldn't be chuffed to remember. So, really, he's in the process of figuring out if there's going to be someone else hurling an ashtray at him before this week is done. That said, whatever Paltry conclusions are coming to mind are rather swiftly brought to an end when the phantom Silver abruptly goes on the offensive. As fresh gouges are left in the wake of of that illusiary assault, Quintessa's spell finally finds purchase within Luffys complex ego- as it both creates and enflames the singular dread possibility, that her own monstrous strength may be inadequate. With a bellow of rage, she twists through the air, veering off into a daredevil spin meant to briefly disengage herself from the imminent threat of her foe, and send herself into a nose dive towards the ground. Only when she'd be on the verge of completing that suicidal collision would her wings span outwards, so that she can barrel roll midway, claws already lashing out to try and strike out if the silver had chased. ....This also directly translates to the fact that Kasyr no longer has any vantage point for advancing along the tale, the frantic nature of the dragons movements having devoted the entirety of his efforts to clutching onto her scales, a constant prayer to Daedria on his lips, so that she might give him the strength needed to both keep hold and bear through the pain and nausea. "Uuuuugh. Uuuuuuuuugh. Whhhhhy?"

Quintessa feels like she's going to hurl. Even with her eyes closed her equilibrium knows what's going on and it frantically tries to correct the hex blade's balance, a near impossible task. This was like one of the crazy rides the Mage Guild put out during the Arh-Nuk fair, except more exciting and somehow more enjoyable. Maybe next year they could- "Focus!" Quintessa hisses to herself, the spiked heels of her boots catching a hold in Luffy's scales while she tried to continue her wavering curse. "Terfysg terfysgol..." she chants over and over, trying to push everything out of her head. The spinning, the clashing of giant dragons, the overall sense that she was going to die at any second, all of it. It takes all of the changeling's concentration just to maintain the already fading spell she's weaving.

Lanlan can almost feel the moment Quintessa's fear begins to grip Luffy. It's there in her sudden roar of rage. And she seems to trust that her wounds are real. So Lanlan should be very proud of himself, yes? No. He can't be. His wisest option was certainly not latching onto a psycho-dragon, and then -attacking- said dragon while it dragged him along by a string. It couldn't be the wisest choice he had. What was his plan? Play-fight Luffy for a week until it was time to fight the Razurath? Then apologize for the duplicity? No this was bad, and now he was being punished. Luffy twists in the air while combatting his illusion, and Lanlan being attached by a piece of taffy, spins around her waist like a tether ball, forming ever tightening circles. This ends one of two ways. Smashed flat with a splat on her ice-hard abs, or impaled on a spike growing out of her back. So, it ends one way: death. What else can he do? He lets go. The momentum sends him flying almost straight up into the air, so fast he can't keep his eyes open, he can't lift his head up against the force of the wind. He can barely breathe, can barely think. He guides Hildegarde to do the only thing he can think of at the time. She flies straight up, up so fast that she shrinks, shrinks, shrinks, and disappears. Then Lanlan can activate his drow insignia's levitation spell. He can't even tell how high he is, because everything's bleached white. Where's the ground? He does his best to look meek while he floats gently down.

Kasyr s' still attached to the worlds most angry flippin' roller coaster, Even as Luffy does her best to chase after something that she's inevitably unable to catch up to. Despite the swordsman's best efforts, the claws of the vambrace slowly dragging down through the ice from the sheer buffeting forces of the wind, and gravitys relentless tug. For a brief moment his feet flail into the void, his still good shoulder protesting the weight being put onto it- before he manages to swing them onto a spine. He can't even manage a proper deathglare at Lanlan as the ascending dragon more or less shoots past him. "Quin. You still there?" It's a valid question, really, made all the more important when he realizes a rather important fact- his skin is frosting,even as the dragon's upwards flight first slows, and then ultimately ends in a frustrated hover. When Luffy offers a defiant roar to the clouds, which hang far too close for comfort, it marks the first moment of respite her passengers will have acquired for the last while, her lunatic pace broken by her current need to get matters sorted.

Quintessa had long abandoned her spell as she kept her eyes tightly shut, that is until the odd girl heard Kasyr's voice and she finally dares to peep over at him, "Y-yeah? Is it over? Are we dead yet?" She really couldn't tell at the moment; everything was still spinning. "Uuughhh," the dizziness was actually worse, and at this height she was getting lightheaded to boot. "I wanna go hoooome..." she whines, resting her head back against the dragon's scales. Mismatched eyes drift to look down but she can't make out where Lanlan is. Everything is just clouds and snow. "I hope he's okay," the hex blade mutters, pulling her gaze back to the Kensai, "So what now? I'm out of ideas." she's really looking to her teacher to sort this out. After all, wasn't he suppose to be good with these kinds of disaster situations?

Magik told your clan, "*drunkenly* Tessa! Dun go to, uh, keway tavnern. Pukies and wurms!" Quintessa told your clan, "Okay, I'll avoid keway tavnern. Thanks for the warning."

Lanlan has no idea how high up he is when Luffy flies past him, but the rush of swirling snowflakes swelling in her wake implies very. For unmeasured time after, Luffy flies and Lanlan flutters, gently. Luckily he was ignored or unobserved and could enjoy this bitter, sheer cold without distraction. Finally he can make out the shadow of a snowdrift, and he lets the magic keeping him aloft go, splashing into the drift with a poof. Now what needed to happen? Could she be bowed? She couldn't be reasoned with, he saw to that, riling her up like this. With no cues from his allies, he heralds Hilde's return with a misdirection. Her savage, disembodied roar comes from behind Luffy, implying an impending attack. And there was, but not from behind. As soon as Luffy would turn, Hilde would appear right above, and slam a claw into the black-ice dragon's wing, seeming to shatter it like ceramic into glass as she flew by. If she believed her wing was truly clipped, maybe she'd start to fall out of the sky.

Kasyr does have a certain talent for handling situations once they've been escalated into outright calamities, but his involvement has almost historically ensured that things get more muddled than they ought to be. "Work in progress." Luffys quiet and contemplative moment is not quite at an end yet, even as she once more begins to glide off in a direction, but she does seem to be a bit more mindful of the situation at this point, a crimson gaze cast towards her persistent passengers. Before she can voice a retort, the Kensai's already in the process of exercising one of his many talents, "If you go now, you're going to be dissapointed." A pause, "You can wound them now. But they're scattered. They won't provide what you're seeking." To be clear, that particular skill is a rather generous application of hazy half-truths. And hey, while Kasy doesn't whether this point could be summarized as fact or fiction, it does make for a somewhat compelling argument. The derisive snort he receives in return is less than appreciated, and her haughty tone doesn't inspire the most confidence "I was curious. Worried you'd be left ou-." Kasyr and Luffy turn in unison with the roar, the latter already preparing to meet a challenger that's not truly there. And it's starting to dawn on the kensai, too, for though he was left out of this plan- that massive creature lacks any sort of empathic resonance. "Wait, Lu-" Even if some fascimile of doubt and disbelief is starting to creep into the dragon's mind, at least enough that she can't conscience the idea of her entire wing being obliterated at once- it only needs to stop working for them to fall into an abrupt tail spin. It's a swift enough change in direction that the ice the swordsman was grasping hold of fractures, sending him into freefall, in the dragons wake. But hey, Lanlan's totally getting to drift to the ground like Mary Poppins at least.

Lanlan noticed signs of civilization to while he was gently drifing back to the ground. This was a complete win for him, he realized. By the time Luffy figured out she was tricked, he'd be far away. And also, it was extremely possible for Quintessa and Kasyr to survive that ugly looking crash. Hilde hovered high above Luffy, interpreting Lanlan's feeling of victory with a roar, and then flying off. In the opposite direction of Lanlan. For the briefest moment, he wondered if it was wrong to leave without checking on the spellblades, or if they'd wonder where he went without giving any signal. Would they run into more trouble that he could've helped with? Then the moment stretches, and he decides there's at least one thing he can do. He covers one eye with a mitten, and lowly mutters incomprehensible gibberish that only means anything to him. A disembodied eyeball with a scarlet iris phases through his hand and hovers. While Lanlan walks away, the eyeball keeps watch for him. Maybe if they need him he'll notice, and maybe he'll return to help.

Quintessa nods her head at Kasyr's words even though Luffy cannot see her. "He's right! Attack now and they'll just scatter, but if you wait for us we can draw them out of hiding for you. We can-" Mismatched eyes also snap over to look at the direction of the roar and her expression shifts to dread when she sees the silver dragon swooping in. Luckily for her, her grip has never loosened at all during the time she has spent on the dragon's tail-spikes so when Luffy drops into freefall she doesn't immediately fly right off of her. However, the changeling cannot contain the high-pitched scream that emits from her as they plummet to the ground. She'll be embarrassed about this if anyone is foolish enough to bring it up to her (if they actually survive this) later. At the moment, Quintessa is certain that death awaits all three of them when they hit the ground. Somewhere, Lanlan's magical eye is catching the hex blade in a rare moment of panic and fear, something she'd be horrified to discover.

Kasyr can feel his skull aching- not from the whipping of the wind past his ears, or from the infernal aching of his skull from the icy fingers which burrow into his skin and well beneath. No, the source in this particular moment is the hellish scream of rage that emanates from the Black Ice dragon, punctuating every moment that her wing refuses to respond. “Wretch! Come back here!” The stupidity of the situation is -not- the note on which the Kensai intends on allowing things to end off on, which is why he starts praying. This moment had happened before, after all- a crash from the heavens, once astride the back of the self-proclaimed king of dragons, and once alongside the Wyrm, Ahkall- and both times, he’d carried himself forward by virture of a heartful plea. Or perhaps more accurately, a devout prayer- one which begins to consume the entirety of the Kensai’s concentration. Daedria had heard him in past, and his very nature as her living sword in Lithrydel had not changed. What carries on the wind is a reminder of that pact, and the promise of work yet unfinished, even as the swordsman begins to hurtle towards the ground all the faster. As Luffy wrestles for control against the winds, and even begins to faintly careen her body from an outright deathspiral, into what still promises to be a ruinous crash, he makes one singular effort to reach out his good hand towards Quintessa, with every intention of pulling her into what he hopes is an adequate protective aura. Only, he doesn’t really know how well it will hold up when protecting -two- people.

Quintessa is not one for devout prayers. Sure, she worships big Vak like most other necromancers, and she honors Delisha by making sacrifices and following her rituals. She even has began to make offerings to her shrine of Daedria, but she is far from a religious person. However, as the ground races up to meet her and her memories flash before her eyes, the idea of praying to one of her patron gods or goddesses feels really good. "Vakmatharas! Delisha! Daedria! Anyone!" she doesn't know how praying works, but almost as if here prayers were answered the hex blade's blue and hazel eyes look over to see Kasyr's outstretched hand. Suddenly, everything felt like it was in slow motion. Of course! The goddess of drama had seen her 'Vailkrin Slayer' performance and had approved of such an offering! "Daedria's Blade..." she whispers, pale fingers reaching out to take the hand of the Kensai, almost pulling herself into his arms as she is brought into the protective aura of the Paladin. As Quintessa ducks and presses her head against Kasyr's chest, she quietly decides that it would be okay to die like this after all.

Kasyr feels just the briefest twinge of relief when he manages to get ahold of his apprentice, yet gravitys unrelenting pull provides a fair amount of reason for it to be short lived. At a loss for something sufficiently heroic to say, he simply offers Quintessa what he hopes passes for reassuring smile- and then they’re meeting the earth. There may as well have been no snow, as their impact sends what would have been a drift 6 feet deep bursting asunder in a spray of frigid chunks- slamming the pair against the frozen earth beneath. It’s a monstrous amount of kinetic force to mitigate, and the Kensai hasn’t even guarded another in this manner- which is perhaps why he’d made sure he hit the ground force, and why when the barrier does distort and break- it’s around him, and Quintessa that those sacred forces shear apart, leaving him sprawled out in a battered, bloodied, and ultimately broken mess. Luffy’s land, by comparison, might be dubbed a thing of grace, if only because rather than hurtle into the ground, and risk shattering in a manner that might rival her companions- she uses the vestiges of control she’d garnered to ultimately redirect -where- she’d land. And in this case, plunging headfirst into and through the surface of a frozen lake seems to be an arguably better choice then the other avenues available to her.

Quintessa closes her eyes and hopes this will at least be over quick. She's extremely lucky Kasyr is here to save her, because without the proper protective spells, this would have surely killed her. As the protective forces summoned up by the Kensai shear apart, so too is the changeling torn from his arms. Her lithe form twists violently in the air for a moment before she bounces off the ground, the force not nearly as devastating as what Kasyr went through. Quintessa lets out an 'Oof' as the breath is knocked from her lungs, her body momentarily sailing through the air until- "Ack!" she collides head-first into the trunk of large coniferous tree. It takes her awhile to sit up, her world still spinning, her body battered, and the wound to her head leaking blood into her hazel eye. "Kas...?" she tries to call, but it comes out as a weak croak instead. She forces herself to her feet, her fractured ribs screaming at her to stay down and rest, but she ignores them. "Master?" she manages to call, her arms wrapped around her midsection. A large gasp, exasperated by the great pain she was in, escapes her mouth as she comes across the broken form of Kasyr before her. "T-teacher!" in utter shock, she falls to his side, looking over him trying to figure out what to do. "Potions!" Thank the gods she knew an alchemist these days, "Don't worry, I've got healing potions." She reaches into her cloak, pulling out a large vial containing a bright, green liquid. "Drink this!" Quintessa is in panic mode. She's never seen injuries on an ally like this before, and hasn't the training or disposition to treat them properly. This hex blade is the kind of adventurer who just throws potions at her injuries. If this doesn't work, she won't know what to do.

Kasyr is well and beyond being able to be roused by Quintessa’s screams, and even the sense of panic that exudes from her does little than taint what was an otherwise placid abyss of consciousness. His breath rattles out slowly, save for the occasional bloody sputter- and the addition of green liquid down his throat doesn’t seem to have too much of an immediate reaction, other than to make his next wet cough look Solstice colored. It’s possible he sounds better, but his appearance is another matter entirely. There’s also the matter of his breath, which doesn’t quite seem to be steaming quite as much as it was before, matching the manner in which his skin is beginning to succumb to frost. Off in the distance, something thrashes angrily within a lake, fracturing the frozen surface as it navigates towards the shore. Luffy may have been spared the worst of this event, but that has done little to allay her altogether ire at having been ambushed, impaired, and then -fled- from.

Quintessa can hear the dragon behind her making her way to the shore of the lake but she doesn't look back in her direction. Her attention is focused on Kasyr, "I don't get it... You're suppose to be a revenant why is...?" The realization comes with a huge dose of doubt, but a lot of the questions she wanted to ask him didn't require as much explanation now. With the healing potion gone she knew she needed to force next an endure elements potion down the Kensai's throat. Pale fingers fumble with and struggle to pull the cork out of a new vial and she brings it to Kasyr's lips before tilting up. "Come on, Kasyr..." The pain burning in the changeling's chest is ignored for now but in the back of her mind she hopes at least one of her potions can be used to heal herself so she can drag his ass out of here. There was, however, the matter of the dragon. A single, ice-blue eye gazes back over her shoulder to stare at Luffy and Quintessa preys that the dragon isn't coming over to finish the job.

Kasyr may not have displayed the most visible reaction to the first potion (probably because it had went to work on his less than intact insides), but the second potion at least manages to do an adequate job of stabilizing the Kensai’s breathing- warding off the deathly cold that had been settling into his lungs. It also makes his coughs less solstice coloured, and more appropriate to halloween. Really, that’s less of an improvement, and more like a potentially invasive thought someone might get while a dragon begins to pull itself out of the icy waters, and lumber towards them. To be fair, however, it’s a vast improvement over deeply contemplating the profound murderous intent that lurked with Luffys crimson gaze- even if it wasn’t reserved for Quintessa, or even Kasyr in that moment. The dragon is moving towards them certainly, but her focus is anywhere save them- snuffing at the air as she tries to get a hint of the other dragon that caught her. What she gets instead, is the familiarity of frostmaws flora and fauna, and the lurking scent of the three which had woken her from her cave- two of which lay -ever- so close to her, and one which was nowhere to be found. A glance is sent towards her still staff bound ankle, the object given a distrustful look before she slithers her tail over towards it, and begins to try and pry it off. “I expect better from you, Gnat. Quit playing possum.” That there isn’t a glib word or some vexing rebuttal from the swordsman actually seems to annoy the dragon more than whatever insipid response she’d picture, judging by the annoyed grunt she makes as she continues to pry at the floppy staff.

Quintessa finally leaves Kasyr to his own devices as she turns and faces Luffy, as if placing her body between the dragon and the Kensai would actually make a difference. The blood trickling from the gash in her head drenches the left side of her face and pools into the snow below her as her shaky hand on the same side reaches up to rest on the sheath of her sword. "H-he," the hex blade tries to speak, a single eye staring up at Luffy emotionlessly, "He's not..." Whatever she was trying to say is quickly abandoned as she drops back to her knees to vomit, more blood and whatever was left of her stew from earlier mixed into the already growing pool of blood beneath her. With her panic subsiding, the changeling's body is quick to remind her what she had been put through.

Kasyr was often told that he was shorter than his own legend, but he looks positively small when Luffy reaches past Quintessa’s heaving form, and brusquely takes hold of the swordsmans battered form. For a moment there’s a cruel bit of mirth that seems to enter her expression, which only seems to grow as she allows his body to slip free from her grasp- and then catching it by the arm which seems to hang so limply. And then his body’s dropped to the ground in a heap, Luffy placing her foreclaw overtop of his form, looking for all the world as though she’s undecided as to whether she should simply finish the job, or guard him. “ Broken, then.” There’s a queer clatteirng noise then, the dragon finally prying the band of wobbly Xalious wood from around her foot, before it’s heaved forward towards Quintessa, “Where the owner? …For the wood. Not -his-.” The contemptuous chortle she makes highlights just how funny she thinks she is in this moment, but it’s rapidly replaced by a look that seems almost territorial, “And you. . .” Quintessa suddenly has Luffys full attention again. “You don’t smell like one of them.”

Quintessa stops vomiting for a second just to look up and -twap- take a staff to the already bruised ribs, knocking the hex blade to the ground (thankfully) a couple of feet away from her vomit. She coughs violently as she struggles to catch her breath but eventually rolls to her knees just in time to gaze up at the dragon. "Me..?" she forces herself to her feet again, not wanting to appear weak before Luffy, "That's because... I'm not like one of them... I'm tainted." Quintessa's frustration is visible as she breaths through her teeth, blood, saliva, and vomit splattering out as she takes labored breaths.

Kasyr is tapped by a claw, before being properly ensconced within the dragons grasp, “Tainted? Fitting company, then.” And then Luffy’s other fore claw seizes forward in a rough effort to try and take hold of the changeling. “You’re going to help me, in case he cannot.” What phantom injuries had been wrought on her wing by the illusiary dragon are fading, allowing the Black Ice Construct to once more prepare to take flight. If she’s managed to catch hold of her insurance, she’ll be looking pleased as punch- but a failure to do so is very unlikely to prevent Luffy from doing her best to take off once more, albeit this time for a more familiar clime. Vailkrin was Kasyrs other home, after all- and if he had no place in frostmaw, where else was there? “You promised so much, after all, mouse.”

Quintessa isn't in the position to escape Luffy's grasp. Her body was starting to give up on her despite her determination, and she offers little resistance to the overpowering strength of the dragon. "Fine," the odd little changeling says, "I don't have a choice anyway." Vailkrin would literally be a warm welcome compared to this icy hell. "Just remember, when the time comes I'm not your enemy; The Razurath are."

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RP: A Cold Reception

Frostmaw Tavern

Deep Snow

Ice Cave Entrance