Coldsnap: Storm's Call

Chapter 2: The Magma-Surfing Marvel

We last read Chapter 1, in which Keena and two other Water Sect mages teamed up to rein in a crowd of rather unruly fire spirits and save the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada from going down in flames, with the invasion apparently being Firebird's doing. Once they had accomplished their task, they returned to the Elemental Realms in victory, at which point Keena requests for a letter to be sent to Firebird requesting a meeting before resting on her new throne and reminiscing on her "victory" against Hydraxus. This time, we get to meet Firebird officially, learn a little more about what she's like, and see as she receives Keena's correspondence just in time for their meeting.....

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-Inferno Fortress, Firelands, Elemental Realms-

Firebird, Morton Flamestar's former bodyguard—and the new leader of the Fire Sect—also reclined leisurely on Flamestar's former throne. But unlike Keena, who utterly relished in her act of murdering Hydraxus, Firebird felt a tinge of pain as she reminisced about the time she, Coldsnap, and the others were forced to go against Flamestar to stop his schemes.

She genuinely loved and adored him in the past, and wanted his admiration in return, but she was forced to aid in his death to save a greater number of lives. And now she was made to bear his former job. Under her orders, a large portion of the area beneath the Inferno Fortress—where the Seared Hand, Morton Flamestar's minions, used to meet regularly—had been completely demolished and cut off from the rest of the region; though the Fire Sect would be sure to tell Flamestar's story to any future fire mages to ensure they would never end up like him, they ultimately saw no reason to keep his lair around any longer.

But no matter how much she thought about it, it no longer mattered. Nothing would ever return to being the way it was before; in other words, this was the hand that she and her friends were dealt, and now they had to make the most of it.

Firebird was a thin, lithe warrior clad in a near-full-body set of sleek, shining armor with red and black coloration, gleaming golden-yellow highlights, and dark-gray combat boots. Her shoulder pads were adorned with a pair of pauldrons that were actively on fire, and two fiery daggers were holstered at either of her hips, ready for her to use should she need to defend herself or protect her fellow Mage Aspects. The only part of her that was uncovered was her head and face, revealing her fair skin, her blazing orange eyes, and her blonde hair that was pulled up into a very high ponytail.

Soon, though, she found herself getting bored. So far today, there hadn't been any emergencies on Earth that had required her use; in fact, she was actually responsible for one; one that Keena ended up having to clean up.

Just then, an idea came to Firebird's mind. She knew the perfect way to have a little fun, stay sharp, and display the full extent of her powers.....all at the same time.

Time for the thrill of a lifetime, she thought to herself, grinning with sheer excitement and anticipation.

She then practically leapt off of the throne and touched down on her feet firmly in the center of the chamber.

Ultimately, the room began shaking and trembling, completely unable to handle the pressure of Firebird's landing. A very hot fissure opened up beneath her, and without any hesitation, she jumped into it, dropping down into the sweltering depths of the Firelands.

She did two flips during her descent and transitioned into a perfect three-point landing on a slab of obsidian rock with a wall of severely unstable boulders that were outright glowing with heat right behind her, as if they would all collapse at any second.