Chapter 564: Covered in Ice (1/2)
Bane nodded respectfully at the group of Nether creatures exiting the Kindled Spirit tavern. The Marshal's bald dome shone in the mid-afternoon sun of Glory City. Among its residents, the Nether had quite a large population; however, they were by far the least problematic of the Colonial races. They frequented the Kindled Spirit because Nix was known to visit often.
”Good morning, Marshal Bane.” A young girl in black pigtails waved from her seat on the dock.
”Hmm... How's crafting this morning, Shana?” Bane glanced at the dock-front shops; as usual, there were lines out the doors.
Shana favored him with a toothless smile. ”I made a dress for one of my dolls. Somehow the stitching was wrong. I'm taking a break.”
Bane's smile faltered as a cold chill ran down his spine. Within moments, the blue sky darkened to black. Without pausing, he grabbed the young girl and sprinted toward the tavern. The cold continued to increase; before he cleared the dock, he could already see his breath.
/Glory CIity: Marshal Bane: This is a city-wide Alert! All personnel are to head to the nearest shelter!
The Tavern door was pushed open, a woman at the door was waving for the running Marshal to hurry. By the time he stepped into the building, the snowfall had begun.
”What's going on, Bane?” Bela took the scared Shana from her husband's grip. She had taken over management of the Kindled Spirit while her mother remained in Haven.
”No idea.” Bane walked toward the nearest window; it was already started to frost up. ”How's your resupply of firewood?”
Bela shook her head. ”Don't have any; we use an innate Fire seed given to us by Shae. Don't worry about the heat.”
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Delyn Xai clapped his hands in appreciation while his best apprentice sheathed her sword. ”Your skills have really improved.”
Raine bowed politely to her sparring partners before stepping out of the circle and bowing respectfully to her teacher. ”Thank you, Master.”
Delyn didn't comment further. Raine's time with Inferno had forced her out of stagnation. The best sword among the Fir'Dhassi had found herself a step behind Inferno fighters like Nix, Pon, and Chiba. The newfound insight gained from fighting beside them resulted in improvements in nearly every aspect of her martial abilities.
The old sword master motioned for the next group to start sparring but then stopped them before they could begin. ”Something...” The air temperature around them dipped suddenly as the Fir'Dhassi felt the stirrings of great power. ”Everyone! Take cover immediately.”
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Turtle House, The Great Desert 1600 hours
Nix sat on the comfortable couch while studying the long list of Bone Fortress Crafting Skills he could choose from. He wanted something that would compliment his Taxidermy skill. A quick glance at the time caused him to close the interface and stand up. Initially, he had come to the Turtle House to pick up a few of the Emperor level puppets that he stashed here.
*Chime*
[Alert: Nix, The Turtle House is sensing the build-up of World Event Magic.]
”Huh?” Nix glanced through the window into the Great Desert. ”Why are the house shields up?”
[Nix, The Turtle House has deemed this area to no longer be safe. Please evacuate the home and prepare for transport.]
Nix stepped outside; just after the house shifted suddenly, four holographic legs sprouted from the four corners of the home as it stood up and immediately began to shrink. Within a minute, it resumed its original size from when it had been originally awarded to Nix. The Inferno Leader picked up the turtle-shaped artifact from the sands; although immune to cold, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.
[Create Breach: Great Desert, Haven]
Nix stepped onto the grassy plateau next to the Gemini temple. A small herd of horses grazed nearby. He could see several figures running into the giant Dragonfir tree that Inferno used as a Guildhall and auxiliary housing.
/Inferno: Nix: Does anyone know what's going on? My Turtle House just retreated from the Great Desert. It almost seemed like it's going to snow.
/Inferno: Tai'Qui: It's World Magic, something that even dragons can't manage. There's nothing to do until it runs its course.
/Inferno: Semmi: Glory City is already blanketed with a foot of snow, along with the rest of Colonial.
/Inferno: Raine: Oasis is also affected; the snow is falling so thick that you can barely see.
/Inferno: Nix: Oasis, Colonial, and Everspire?
/Inferno: Jun Li: Officer meeting?
/Inferno: Nix: No. We just finished a major objective, time for Inferno to take a few days off.
/Inferno: Semmi: I agree. Let's bring our members into Haven and rest for a few days.
[Whisper: Pon to Nix] Does this seem like an attempt by the devs to give Khione a hand up? Since we keep kicking her ass?
[Whisper: Nix to Pon] Heh... No doubt. They keep standing her up and we keep knocking her down.
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Nix banked suddenly, putting distance between himself and his pursuit. The mountains behind his ranch flashed by him as he headed due south. Within seconds he was clear of the range and into the far plateau just east of where Pon and Semmi had their brewery.
He dived steeply and then pulled out of it for a soft landing at the last moment. Nix dropped his Archon form just before he was tackled into the tall grass. ”Sore loser...”
Shae shrugged slightly, her red hair falling into his face. ”Using that burst ability is a cheat.”
The tall grass would have been nearly waist high if either of them had been standing. It swayed and rippled with the cool breezes coming down from the mountains. As the crow flies, they were within a mile of the ranch.
”I may put the Turtle house here.” Nix pointed to where the grasslands butted up against the mountains.
Shae leaned against him. From where she sat, there was a distinct border that separated the grasslands from the beginning of the wheat fields. ”You love putting houses up against the mountains.”
********Author's Note******