“Where are they,” S’venia asked nobody in particular as she stood at the entrance to the now deserted village. The village itself was simple, as the buildings themselves were made out of wood and even resembled your humble cottage with most buildings being no taller than a single floor; exception being the mayor's office which had a second floor. The village also had a large square in the middle for peddling goods to the travelers. As acting commander for the Council of Seven’s search for the Goddess, she was granted certain powers to make their force a successful one. With her arrival three days prior she commanded the citizens of this village to vacate, take whatever valuables they could carry, and make their way to the city Vun’ral, a two days journey. She of course provided them with passes that would allow them to have free lodging in city for that night. She had planned to let the group rest here for a day or two, get some stamina back in both the soldiers and the horses, as well as coordinate among the other commanders before heading out. That was now in jeopardy as they were now a few days late

“Our scouts have reported in,” a gruff sounding bearded man responded, “they will arrive today,” he finished.

“They better,” S’venia responded as she drew the Sword of Roffella and pointed it towards the west. At first it did nothing more than strain the arm of S’venia, a long sword pointed straight outward is heavy after-all. She held it there for a second before moving it to her right, and hit the sword’s sweet spot. The sword began vibrating as the runic inscriptions along the face of the sword began to glow a dull blue color all-the-while a dim hum filmed the air. She again held it there for a second before she returned the sword to the sheath, “the Goddess gets farther by the day,” S’venia paused as she turned her attention back towards the bearded man, “have the cooks prepare a warm meal, our travelling companions will be surely be the better for it,” she finished. The cooks were to create a “divine” meal consisting of a lot of broth, a lot of potato's, and a little bit of other meat; all the food “given” to the cause by the villagers themselves.

In her mind S’venia knew that the other commanders would not be on time, travelling vast distances after receiving the location was no easy feat as it were. Instead, she focused on the task at hand here. She had already sent a rider to extend the villagers stay, by order of the Council as she put it, by a few more days so the group had time to rest and learn of their plans. She knew that they might not have been made aware of just how dire the time ahead would be. The Council had already mobilized the combined armies in the east to combat the major breach, this much was known to the other commanders. The other commanders were also made aware of the general purpose of their mission, which was to find the missing Goddess, return her to her temple, and restore the protective barrier once more and force out the horrid creatures. The information that was withheld would test their strength as the end etches closer to their realm.

Still, it couldn’t hurt that she had a monster of her own fighting alongside her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As the last days of autumn started to fade away, and the cruel whispers of winter seep downward from the north, a war for the fate of our realm was already ravaging the countryside. More cities have been added to the list as vast armies of monstrous foes swept through the streets; slaughtering any and all who stand before them. The combined armies had already assembled, adopting the age-old tactic of encircle, defend, and wait out the winter before forcing the fight in the spring. The scribes have warned of a very wet winter already, and logistics and maneuvers would be hard if not impossible in the snowy battlefield. Instead, they were to build fortifications and hold the demons at bay. S’venia and her forces would not have that luxury. Each day, the Goddess gains distance on her, and the clouds on the horizon promised snow and cold; and grew darker ever still.

Outside the village, as the representative of the Kingdom’s approached, they would notice a single rider emerge from the tree-line along the side of the road. The sentry would stop, and stare for a second, before riding towards your formation. In his hand he would be holding a pole with the banner of the Kingdom of Aurr flying high above, the silhouette of a snow leopard on a black backdrop. "Hello commanders," the scouts would say, "I have come to lead you the rest of the way in," they would finish.

S’venia watched as the monstrous creature carried in yet another tree to be used as fuel for the fires, they surely would need over the next couple days. She was astonished at the sheer strength of the brute, no doubt. The amount of work he accomplished in a few short hours rivaled what a crew of trained men could do in a week. She was right to listen to her superiors and accept a ‘bodyguard’ for the journey. Out of her peripheral vision, she watched as the monstrous beast stalked closer to her position before stopping ten feet away.

"Have they been briefed about me...? We don't need an incident..."

“They have not,” S’venia started, “they will be briefed when the time is right,” she paused before turning her cous to the beast, “I’ll get a few men on breaking down those tree’s into fire wood, go and grab something eat Kharne,” she paused as she turned her focus back towards the main road. The other commanders would be surprised about her monster, that’s for sure.







S’venia strode back and forth across the main room of the mayor's office as she awaited the other commanders; her footsteps noticeable but otherwise silent. The interior of the office was plain, with nary an extraordinary gift to be spotted nor were there any signs that the mayor ever partook in anything outside the realm of his responsibilities'. The walls bore no decorations, the windows plain but functional and the doorway tall. In the center of the main room there sat, however, a rather unique looking table with a rather unique looking map stretched out on top of it. The table was a brown color that had a near golden hue to it. On the bottom, it had four 'paws’ that sat four feet apart from each other acted as the base of the table. As the table grew upward, the paws transitioned to a detailed body of a feline creature as the four legs of the table spiraled outward and around. As the legs of the table reached their apex the head of a snow leopard, mouth agape and head twisted to the left, sprung above the tabletop itself. The four sides of the table also resembled the legs of the snow leopard with a fitting paw at the end of its reach. The table looked equal parts elegant and functional. The snow leopards commissioned the table with one goal in mind, however, and that was portability. Lift out the sides, pull away the circular disk that held the paws together, and the table was ready to move.

What the table looked like and how it functioned mattered less than what was strewn across it. On top of the table lay a map of the village, the woods that surrounded it, and the surrounding villages and cities. One of the perks of her post was the ability to “borrow” maps from the locals, and borrow S’venia did. In simple detail, one could see a wooden figure depicting the leopard, horse, Gryphon, and shield over-top the village. S’venia strode up to the table in a quick pace, and with one quick motion grabbed the wooden horse. The Kyrantian Skirmishers were the first unit to arrive at camp this day. S’venia had her soldiers guide the mounted warriors to both the village stables on the east side of town as well as the farm house slightly outside of town on the east. The village stables alone were not enough to store the sheer might of the horses and additional accommodations had to be made. S’venia was impressed, however, with the coordination of the mounted soldiers as well as their Luna Falcon commanders. Her scout reported that the Falcons had spotted him before he spotted them, and was generally caught off guard by some of their sneakier members. S’venia would make sure she would use them generously.

As she placed the wooden horse down gently, she shifted her hand and lifted up the Gryphon and brought it close to her eyes. S’venia heard from her chefs that there was some who were not pleased with the Northern style of cooking. S’venia scoffed at the thought, a simple mistake on her part to assume that the southerners added fruits to their stews as well. Those from Luvalon were realm renowned for their cooking abaility, so a surprise this was not. Yet their army, and their strange magic, was an interest to her. She did not understand the fundamentals of it, yet she could clearly see the use it would bring to the wars ahead. Her soldiers guided them to the same area her own soldiers occupied, and had them occupy the buildings across the main road from them. S’venia would need to speak with their commander, however, word had reached S’venia’s ears about a mud fight; something she was not too keen on seeing.

Gently she laid the piece down, and once more grabbed the third and final piece; the shield. The Lallafellen’s were, to put it lightly, a very strange race for S’venia. They were small, physically weaker when compared to the other races, and were completely unassuming. S’venia had a hard time initially respecting their soldiers as they spoke with a child's voice and had an unhealthy reliance on magic. Yet it is that magic that makes them very powerful allies in the coming days. Communication on a battle field is never easy, and yet these small creatures move and act as one thanks to their unrivaled battle-field communication. While her soldiers wanted to guide them to another section of buildings, they insisted on selecting the stables and the farmhouse as well.

S’venia took a deep breath, exhaling after a few seconds, and placed the wooden figure back down. The army was forming, and that was good, she told herself. Yet she allowed her eyes to betray her desire as they shifted over to a wooden bow as well as a wooden gem, both placed on their sides and both on the far side of the table as well as the icon of a dwarf, upright but still missing. The bow represented the Wood Elves and their army while the gem represented Atala. S’venia sighed as she looked back at the table. Her scouts had ventured further out after they had made contact with the other nations to seek out the remaining groups.

Quickly they happened on a merchant's caravan who was travelling the same route. The merchants told a tale of death and despair. Of Elves and Atala bodies strewn across the road. Most were cut down with nary a drop of blood on their swords. Others were not so lucky. Strange spears hoisted bodies, heads, and headless bodies in a neat, and symmetrical, way along the road while various other corpses were positioned in an almost religious style with the bodies being placed back, to back, and to back once more. The merchants had the sigil and other proof to convince them that their story was indeed true. S’venia began to stride around the room again, her footsteps echoing loudly now. Already, on the first day of their grand adventure, they are beset by failure and death. Was this to be the norm? What beset them, monster or man? Questions, many questions with few answers began to swarm around in her head. She paced frantically around the room until she found herself near the door.

“Enough,” S’venia thought as she took in a deep breath, placed her hands on the wall, and exhaled. The other commanders would be arriving soon enough, after-all. She would need to keep her composure around them. Placing her hand on the hilt of her sword, she straightened her posture and removed all emotion from her face. With a single motion, she moved towards the door and opened it; steeping outside to await the commanders.

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Mayor's house
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S’venia felt a presence enter the mayor's office and turned to see the Luvalon commander had arrived.

S’venia listened as the overly cheerful Luvalon commander offered her pleasantry. S’venia stood, posture perfect, in silence for a few seconds as she looked over the commander. Her eyes flowed over the intricate, yet sturdy, breastplate “Strong and durable,” S’venia thought as her eyes shifted more northward, “scale armor underneath,” she continued as her eyes shifted to the arm guards, “ornate but well crafted,” she finished her thought. “We are made all the stronger by your presence, Beatrix, “ S’venia paused as she shot out her free arm, “your exploits travel far and wide,” S’venia finished with a smirk. As they shook arms S’venia looked past the commander and saw a second commander was fast approaching. “Head over to war table,” S’venia started as a smirk appeared, “and remember, Roffella is Goddess to us all and not just those who worship her,” she finished as she let go of her arm; with the smirk disappearing as she did.

As S’venia let Beatrix move past her as she scanned the approaching commander. Tan, with an average build and less than ideal armor, S’venia smiled as she saw her cavalry commander striding towards "The League of Kyrantes also honors the pact made with the Council of Seven, and have answered the summons,” the commander started as he entered the building. "Commander Cyterius Yranov, Honored Lady. My blades, my men, and our horses are at your disposal, Commander S'venia. Now then... what are we here to discuss though the rest of the Council's forces have not arrived yet?" The smile quickly vanished from her face. “Greetin-” S’venia started yet, the sudden and high-pitched voice of her Lalafell commander pierced through the air cutting her off.

"Commander S'venia, as I'm sure you may be aware, and if you are not, I apologize for the shock, but I fear the rest of the forces may not be arriving. Have we heard any word from them,” the small creature asked. It took S’venia a second to adjust her vision to the commander, but when she centered her eyes on River all emotion left her face.

“Yes,” S’venia paused as she walked over to a table to the immediate left of the door, “I have been made aware,” she paused, “not three hours ago, my scouts returned from their search,” S’venia used her free hand to grab what appeared to be a cloth with a sigil on it, “they had run into a caravan a few days prior. The caravan leader spoke of the aftermath of a great battle. They told a tale of Elves,” she paused as she grabbed and tossed the blood-soaked sigil, a dove overtop a bow, of the Grass Warriors towards River, before grabbing a second sigil that lay next to it, “and of Atala soldiers,” she paused as she tossed the equally bloody sigil towards Cyterius, “strewn across the road, cut down like they were cattle heading for the slaughter with nary a drop of their enemies blood on their own weapons,” she paused as she turned her body towards the three commanders, “my scouts have yet to make contact with the Iron legion as well,” pausing as she scanned the commanders, “as it stands we are the army. The soldiers we arrived with are our only ones,” she paused as she moved towards the door, closing it one effortless motion “take care of your soldiers, no silly games that might cause injury,” she paused as she shifted her focus to Beatrix, before returning it to the group as a whole, “and no surprises. We need to set up our guard rotation,” S’venia paused as she walked over to the war table, “come, we have much to discuss,” she finished as she turned around, back to the door. As she began to point at an object on the war table, the door swung open and a monstrous figure entered the scene

“Kharne,” S’venia started, “I was wondering when you would arrive,” she paused as she turned her focus to the other commanders, “this one is tasked with keeping us safe from harm, and his skill-set is quite all encompassing,” she finished as she once again returned her attention to the map before her.

The next few hours were spent around said table. The first order of business was hashed out rather quickly where it was agreed that the guard rotations were to be a mix of soldiers from each faction spread out along the perimeter. A curious question from a curious person regarding the process of finding the Goddess drew the ire of S’venia. She quickly drew the Goddess sword and showed them just how they were to do it. During these few hours, S’venia assigned cooking responsibilities to the Luvalon chefs. In her own words, S’venia described the stories of their cooking exploits as something that “was hard to believe,” and to “have them prove me wrong.” Eventually, after they had finished discussing things as they pertained to the camp, they got right into the important stuff.

“After we break camp here, in two days' time, we are to head to the town of V’alnor,” S’venia paused as she pointed to a location on the map, “it’s a two-day journey for us and we will restock there, your Luna Falcons will serve as our forward party,” S’venia paused as she turned her focus to the other commanders once again, “now that we have that out of the way, let us discuss our strategy for battle,” she paused as she looked towards the door, “I have heard what makes your soldiers strong yet we are more limited in our manpower now than I had ever envisioned as possible. As such, our battle plans are going to need flexibility in their execution,” she paused as she righted her posture.

“How can I best use your forces in our limited manner,” she asked as she placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, “and any other questions, I know I presented you with a lot of information over these past few hours,” she finished. A chill began to fall on the camp as the group talked. While it was already cold, this chill felt unnatural.

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Mayor's house
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“Duly noted,” S’venia spoke towards all the commanders as she made her way towards the table. The images that River had brought forth were very disturbing yet somehow familiar to S’venia. “The soldiers were seemingly trapped by some form of magic, River if you have any spell that can protect us from it, I advise you use it, and Beatrix if you have any wards that could do the same, I’ll welcome the protection,” she finished as she placed her hands on the table and looked. While their army was small, they had the formation of something solid. “As we travel, we will be able to recruit soldiers from the town guards of the places we visit, I have granted the authority to do as much,” she paused, “though I’d rather not wrest away more bodies than we have to,” she finished.

The group would start to notice the temperature abruptly dropping even further as the sounds of a sudden and vicious wind lashed against the sides of the house. Something about this cold felt unnatural, unearthly even, and the magic users in the group would feel a sense of dread wash over them. S’venia stopped moving as she once again placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, slowly spinning to face towards the door. She focused her ears and listened. The howl of the wind was powerful and everlasting. It reminded her of countless nights in the deepest part of winter, huddling for warmth with her soldiers around a fire or in a cave. The wind would pierce through every layer of cloth you wore, and turned even the hardiest of soldiers into weak-willed men. On a few occasions, she had to fight soldiers who attempted to remove their clothes because he felt he was too hot. The cold lies. The cold wrapped her icy talons across your mind, promising you sweet relief but it lies. The cold spoke of warmer pastures if you’d let it in but it lies. This cold offered you her warm embrace if you just fall asleep but it lies all the same. This cold that had now crept into the village was an evil cold that had taken countless lives up in the mountains, what was it doing here? She listened some more, hoping to hear the sound that she was searching for.

“The soldiers,” S’venia started, her breath visible in the air, “they’ve gone quiet.”

Indeed, what once was a standard military encampment had fallen eerily silent outside. Whether it was the cold forcing them indoors, or the wind sucking the words out of their lips, S’venia did not guess. She listened and listened some more hoping to hear just once voice over the gushing winds. Yet there was silence. She listened and listened some more hoping to hear the closing of doors and windows. Yet once again there was silence. And as her grip tightened even further against the hilt of the godly weapon, she felt like something caused their silence; and it was not something that she expected to face so early into their journey.

*zaaaaaaaaaaaap*

A thunderous noise emanated as a blue colored light emerged above the table. Initially, it appeared as just a simple orb. Quickly, however, it shot out and adopted an appearance that looked like a lightning bolt. It crackled there for a few seconds before it erupted outward forming an oval above the table; the edges forming tendrils that crackled in various directions. The interior of the oval seemed to be flowing upward. S’venia quickly drew her sword yet she left it hanging down and to her side. Something seemed familiar and a confused expression quickly spread over her face.

*thump*

The book groaned as it fell from the portal and onto the war table, knocking over the figures as it landed. In a second, the portal pulled itself back out of existence. The book had a black binder with pure white face with no markings nor any words. S’venia slowly approached the table, placing the sword back in the sheath as she did, before eyeing up the book itself. She watched as blue letters began to slowly appear on the cover before they spelled out one ominous name.

“The butcher of Seven Fields,” S’venia spoke quickly and with a subtle surprise in her voice. “The soldiers,” she quickly added, “they are in danger,” she finished.

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Mayor's house
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"GET YOUR ASSES UP AND ARMED, ARMOR ON, WEAPONS BARED THE ENEMY IS HERE,” the half dragon roared, waking whatever life it could in the immediate area and shaking a few houses as he did.

“That was a mistake,” S’venia spoke in a soft voice as her grip tightened around the hilt of her sword.

S’venia quickly moved to River’s side, placing a hand on their shoulder, “ready your magic, Kharne will need your help,” she finished as she lifted her hand, River would notice a warm sensation spread from where S’venia placed her hand, “and Beatrice,” S’venia paused as she closed the distance between the two in a quick pace, placing her hand on the shoulders of Beatrice, “your ward is well deserved, keep it strong and at the ready,” S’venia finished as she removed her hand from her shoulder, and she would too notice the warm sensation spread from where S’venia’s hand was, “and Cyterius,” S’venia spoke as she once again closed the distance, placing her hand on his shoulders, “the enemy we face requires us to stick together, if we break rank you risk death at the hands of a beast that claimed more lives in the first war than any other monster of metal,” she paused as she removed her hand from his shoulder, and he too would feel the warm sensation spreading.

“I do not know how to kill this enemy, it is unlike anything you or I have ever faced in our lives,” S’venia paused as she looked towards the door, “maybe the book might be of help,” S’venia finished as she pointed towards the book, “come," she paused as she allowed a sarcastic grin to befall her face, "let us save our bodyguard,” she finished as she made for the door, motioning for the group to follow.

As the group exited the building, the would see snow falling slowly in the area causing a light dusting to appear. The buildings appeared lifeless, with no lights shining through the window. Their vision would be greeted by the sight of their soldiers, all frozen in their tracks, with weapons drawn and ready for battle. If they looked close enough, the group would notice their eyes. Their eyes wouldn shift from the commanders to something further down in the camp. S’venia followed their eyes and eventually spotted the giant half-dragon Kharne, not too far ahead, frozen in his tracks all the same.

“Stick together,” S’venia spoke as she unbuckled her hilt from her hip and began to carry her sword in her hand. The commanders would have a choice here. Their soldiers were close, and they were in need of their help. They could break rank and help them, or they could follow S’venia and face the source of their issues. Whatever their decision, S’venia began to make her way towards their bodyguard. Eventually, she made her way to his side. As she was about to put her hand on his shoulder, she spotted the creature that was responsible for the assault. “Commanders, our enemy has arrived,” she spoke as she drew her sword, dropping the hilt as she did.

In front of Kharne, some fifteen meters away, the creature had stopped its approach as it began to scan each commander intricately. The creature boasted plates of a dark grey color, covering their legs, chest, and arms, which starkly contrasted with the black skin beneath. Using the word ‘skin’ would be a stretch of the word as it appeared the beast boasted muscle and muscle alone on the lithe feminine frame. The thin frame allowed the chest plate to spill over and around the chest of the beast, forming a natural set of armor that appeared to be very durable. While its thin frame and its small profile was unassuming at most, its face made up for it by the intensity of the stare it delivered. Its eyes, black as night and sunken deep in the white porcelain-like mask, stared out with a fiery intensity as the top edges danced like a candle flame in the night. The mouth was equally black, sunken deep in the creatures face as well. The top of the mask flowed upward in a writhing mass of black fog, that’s uppermost edge faded away as it traveled upward. Upon closer inspection, the commanders would realize that it was no mask that covered its face. Indeed, its ‘face’ seemed to be made from porcelain and not flesh.

The eyes shifted, once again, between the commanders before resting on S’venia.

“Do’rk var zail mi vize,” it spoke in a very metallic sounding voice, it’s mouth gliding across the surface of its face as it spoke.

“I know what I do,” S’venia responded as she slammed her hand on the shoulder of Kharne. The other commanders would notice a soft golden glow being emitted from her palm, though the source would remain unknown. “Kharne, come back to us,” she began to chant.

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In the street
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_@Kazemitsu
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As Kharne strode forth into the camp, his ears would only hear the constant howl of the vicious wind while his eyes would only reveal the sheer density of the snowstorm that had sudden enveloped the camp. With every step he took, the cold would seep further and further into the mind and body of the giant. While his heritage boasted incredible resistance to the elements, this cold was unnatural and unlike anything the giant had ever faced. This cold crawled its way through his thick skin and lashed at the very thoughts in his head. After a few more steps, his instincts would flare up telling him to run. Run back to the mayor's house, run away in general, and run from this cold. The instinct would become overwhelming in its desire to have Kharne run. Something deep inside of him knew what was ahead, and it was afraid. He would find that listening to his inner instinct was impossible, however, as he would find himself frozen in his steps; unable to move. Every attempt to move his legs would be met with nothing, every attempt to wiggle a finger or a toe would be met with nothing, and every attempt to listen to his innermost instinct would be met with nothing. He was frozen in time and in place by an unknown force that allowed only his eyes to move.

And his eyes would see a ghastly sight indeed.

Up ahead, in the middle of the village, his eyes would see another soldier, frozen in time and place much like himself. At first that was all he could see. The soldier had his weapon drawn, resting at a forty-five-degree angle as if he was trying to strike a blow, and was a member of the Snow Leopards. Yet, as he looked, he would start to see what appeared to be a bright light appearing in front of the soldier and out of view of his direct sight. Without seeing the source of the light Kharne would feel a wave of raw anger wash over and seemingly directed at him. Kharne would be able to sense that this anger lingered in the air all around him. Through the smoke the light conveyed a raw and powerful hatred. Kharne had interrupted its ritual after all. In a quick movement, the creatures arm shot into view as it slit the neck of the soldier it hid behind.

The arm of the creature was wrapped in a bright white fog that obscured its true form, with cloud-like tendrils flowing off the fingertips of the creature. The soldier that stood before it fell to his knees, before falling over all together; revealing the creature all together. Kharne would see an impossible creature deep in the snowstorm, a creature of light and beauty. In the center of the creature's chest, a vibrant red jewel glowed a beautiful hue that pierced through the thick snowstorm without resistance. The same cloud like tendrils spread outward from the jewel, covering the chest and arms of the beast while flowing downward to only the knees. Where the tendrils flowed the same fog obscured the true form of the creature. The tendrils snaked upward, forming the head of the beast in a vibrant white light that shined through the darkness of the snow storm. Yet, despite its pristine and seemingly beautiful nature, Kharne will remain ill at ease. For on its pristine and seemingly beautiful face sat two sunken and very black eyes that flickered like candles in the night and a mouth that was equally dark and flickered all the same. While the blue streaks in the cloudy face did add some joviality to its appearance, it did not detract Kharne from the sight of those eyes and they were angry.

Kharne would watch as the body of the deceased soldier emitted various cloud like tendrils from his body The tendrils flowed upward and flowed into the red jewel on the creature and it smiled a lovely smile. The white frame expanded slightly, adding the base of a pair of horns to the top of its head while extended further down the leg as well. The creature slowly brought it’s hand close, and raised it up towards it head. It slowly rubbed the foundation of the horns for a few seconds before the smile that had framed its face grew sinister. Kharne would watch as the flickering eyes fully embraced their next target. As if floating, the creature began to make its way towards Kharne. He would notice that on the creatures' right arm existed a blade that seemed to be a part of its body, and as the creature grew closer, he would notice that it looked quick sharp indeed. Slowly but surely, the creature closed on Kharne. Slowly but surely, it moved its way through the camp. It’s eyes fixed and flicking, and it’s mouth seemingly filled with glee.

Yet it stopped, some ten meters away, as its eyes shifted to a sight behind the right shoulder of the giant. A second or so later, Kharne would feel a warm sensation on his shoulder. Slowly the warmth began spread across his body and grew in intensity as it did. It would burn like the hottest fire that ever touched his skin as it spread. It would be a mixture of pain and sweet relief, a pair that was bound to illict some confusion. Though as the warm sensation spread, Kharnes vision would confuse him. As the warmth spread, the snowstorm began to lose its intensity, fading away to nothing more than a slow falling flurry that gently dusted the area. As the warmth spread, his inner instincts began to wane and retreat before falling off altogether. And as the warmth spread, the site of the creature before him changed. Slowly, the white cloud like base of the creatures' body began to fade, revealing the true body of the monster before him. Before the snowstorm and the murky form faded all together, the creature would let out an earthshaking roar that Kharne and Kharne alone could hear.

“ar-,” he would hear a distant voice speak, “arne-,” the same voice would speak this time closer and louder, “Kharne,” he would finally hear S’venias voice once again, “Kharne, welcome back,” she would speak as she fell to a knee with an exhausted look on her face. His right shoulder would still feel the warm sensation from before while the rest of his body relished in the fact that it was no longer there wherever there was; he was back in the realm of the mortals once again. He would feel weak, however, and would need a moment before he could regain his former strength. S’venia spent a second on her knee before she rose back to her feet, and brandished her sword for all to see.

The group had arrived in full now.