VOOP!
Darkness swallowed his view as he dived into the sea of swirling blue.
DOOSH!
The transition was instant.
CRUNCH!
The world had detonated into white...
Pure white.
WOOH! WOOH! WOOH!
Wind howled, cutting like knives.
The sky held no sun, only a ceiling of ash-grey.
Snow dragged at his boots, wanting to pull him under.
A cruel shift from the decorated walls of Auric Spire...to a descent into the unknown.
The air burned his lungs raw, every breath a cut of glass.
His mind had spiralled, eyes trying to adjust.
'Where....?'
The cold offered no answer.
Only a warning.
Only the shrieking wind.
Then--voices....
Distant, but carried through the violent wind.
"K--ep moving, the array won't mas- for long."
"Check behind. Q-ickly."
Riven froze.
The storm was too thick to see faces, only the faint glimmers of light glowing like dying stars ahead.
He immediately dropped to his knees in the snow.
CRUNCH!
WOOOH!
The cold danced around his frame as his breath floated through the air.
"Huff huff."
Cloaks whipped in the wind, their outlines wavering and jagged.
He squinted his eyes, as his hand rested near Mael's Fang, now out and ready.
WOOH! WOOOH! WOOOH!
A faint pulse ran ahead in the pale blue air.
WHIIRR WHIRRR WHIIRR!
Ki.
Probing.
Searching, as sharp as sonar.
"Huf-"
Riven's breath caught....every muscle wired to stillness.
Hunched over, he masked himself in the snowy hell.
WHIIRRR- WHIRRR-
The pulse faded faintly against the howls.
"No-thing. We're clear."
A distant voice travelled partially, prompting slight muscle relaxation from Riven.
The lights pressed on, swallowing deeper into the storm.
"huff. huff."
His breath exhaled slow, as his jaw clenched.
He'd been thrust into a storm without warning.
His face had stiffened, frozen by more than the cold.
He rose slowly from the snow; cold biting his fingers, as they curled, frozen tight.
CRUNCH!
'...I'm already here.'
The garms of Eldris Academy fluttered, it's fiery sigil the only form of heat symbol.
WOOH! WOOH! WOOH!
He trailed the group...slowly, far from sight, but never leaving.
Those lanterns bobbed, fading...before re-appearing.
---------------
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
"You think she's actually what they say she is." a hooded man spoke out, hand carrying a lantern flickering in a white expanse.
His boots sank with each step, leaving deep prints behind.
Five other figures paced alongside him, cloaks pulled tight against the sharp wind.
The outline of a human blanketed in layers rested, carried around by two of the figures.
"...That isn't for us to know." another followed, his build stockier, cloak betraying his short stature.
A third voice, sharp and tired."The set-up was hard enough. Our jobs are done now."
The walk continued in silence.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
Their lights swayed as their eyes strained to look ahead, hands blocking any interference.
The wind howled louder.
WOOOH! WOOOH!
For a while....only the sound of boots pressing into snow carried them forward.
Cough! cough!
Then, through the haze of the mist-filled sky and biting frost; a jagged silhouette broke through the storm.
Towers long collapsed.
Walls gutted and half-swallowed by ice.
The pile of ruin loomed like a corpse the snow picked clean.
"There." One spoke, lifting his lantern higher, flame fighting to stay a-light.
"Home for now."
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
Footsteps quickened as breaths of relief collectively resounded.
Urgency outweighed fatigue.
The nearer they reached, the larger the dark arches appeared.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH! THUD!
The soft crunches transitioned to the tapping of stone.
The doors splintered just wide enough for a squad to march through.
WOO! WOO-
Inside, the wind lightly dulled.
Still prevalent through the multitude of cracks and crevices....but more lenient on the senses.
Their lanterns cast thin gold arcs against the webbed walls.
"Haah..." one exhaled, dropping his hood. His beard stiff with ice.
The mercenaries filed in, boots scraping the frostbitten floors as the castle ate them whole.
Cough! cough!
"Rile. Fire. Now."
One of the taller individuals didn't answer.
He dropped to one knee near a decrepit fireplace, conjuring fire from his hands....
SHAA!
CRACKLE!
An orange glow flared, brightening strands of the air somewhat.
The glow rose, chasing shadows back just enough to show the ruin in its image; collapsed tapestries, shattered banners, and frozen stone gargoyles up above.
"Keep it quiet," another muttered, hand never leaving the hilt at his side.
"This place swallows sound. Feels wrong."
One of the others scoffed, "The only thing'll hear us is the remains of the Frost Skirmish, 50 years ago."
Rile spat back, "Fifty years or not, bones don't stay quiet forever in this place."
A silence followed, heavy and strained.
CRACKL-
Even the fire's crackle seemed to flinch.
Wooh! Wooh
It continued for a while.
They all rested closer to the fire than before; some leaning against the wall, some sitting.
"How long we staying in this frozen pit? We'll join the dead soon."
"As long as we're told. The cult doesn't care if we freeze."
A scoff, blowing warmth into his palms, "Easy for them to say, we rot whilst they hide in their robes."
"Watch your tongue," one cut in, low and sharp.
His eyes flicked towards the unconscious princess placed close to the fire.
"We were paid heavy for this job. More than most see ever....you think it's a simple grab?"
CRACKLE!
The fire popped. Silence flowing in.
Finally, another muttered, "They're waiting for something....a sign. Until then, she stays breathing."
'...I'll be dying soon, meddling in cult business.'
The fire cracked, spitting sparks.
Their voices died down, swallowed by the looming walls of the keep.
Silence pressed in.
-------------
CRUNCH!
Riven's boot sank deep into the white mass.
"Huff...huff"
His breath came ragged, spilling clouds into the storm.
Every step was a battle; the wind grinding at him like teeth, lashing at his face, and clawing into his uniform.
His legs burned, knees locking against the weight of frost that hugged him.
'Damn this cold...'
His pulse thundered, each beat heavy and sluggish.
The halls of before seemed like a dream; distant and unreal.
The world was just white here.
Endless.
Merciless.
His eyes still held forward.
A faint glow flickered in the distance, causing his breath to hitch.
"huff..."
He clenched his jaw, as he tapped his chest.
A sign he told himself to keep going.
He pulled one boot free of the snow with a grunt.
He couldn't stop here.
He'd die.
The white hell had only just opened its jaws.