Converging Destinies: Part 1

Chapter 64

       The next day, the group awoke to the sound of wind. Much like their first day of travel on the ice, there was a constant roaring of the gale. Zerai was still too weak to keep pace, and so was once again carried by Ella. For the first couple hours, it had no effect on them. As the day reached its half-way point, the toll began to take hold on Ella and Eris.

       "Ella, will you be alright for now?" Cedric asked.

       "I'm alright! And no matter what happens I will be." Ella reassured him with a smile. The rest of the day passed without issue, and the party set up an icy dome around them.

       "Is there a way to know the weather ahead of time, because thus far it's been unpredictable." Zerai said. The group sat beneath the dome in contemplation for a moment.

       "Wait, I have something that may help us." Cedric said excitedly.

       "What?!" Ella asked, matching Cedric's tone. Cedric placed his hands on the ice, and a flash of faint golden light flowed down his arm. The golden light accumulated in an orb of faint, golden light. Cedric breathed a sigh of relief.

       "Clear skies, we have clear skies until we reach Point Frost." The party slept well beneath the dome, sheltered from the remaining wisps of biting wind. The next day, Zerai was finally in good enough condition to walk. After several hours passed, the group spotted something in the distance that clearly marked itself as separate from the horizon.

       "That's it!" Ella shouted excitedly. The group's pace went from trudging to running, finally having reached their destination. The shape of the town soon became clearer and clearer. Due to its difficult accessibility and how far it was from mainland Theros, it wasn't tied to any of the world's powers. It was a town made up of criminals, runaways, and refugees from past conflicts between Sathun and Norda.

       As the group got closer, Ara' Sei began to hear a ringing in her head. Then, a voice spoke, a familiar one spoke to her.

       "Be ready for the troubles ahead." The voice warned. As the group drew ever closer, they could see that large portions of the town wall were burnt and collapsed. Every now and then, there was a faint whiff of smoke in the air. Something was strange, something was wrong here.

       "Ara' Sei, are you sure coming here was a good idea?" Eris asked.

       "I was guided here, there was no guarantee that it was going to be easy once we got here." Ara' Sei reminded them.

       "I suppose you're right." They responded. A sense of dread fell over the party as they approached, and they gradually slowed their approach as their excitement died down. Cedric could swear that every now and then, he saw motion on his periphery. He could swear he saw a blur of movement hear, a snapping of wood here, and tail poking out from behind a structure.

       "Be ready." Zerai said, summoning his light blade. Then, everyone saw it. A massive creature crawled from behind a broken wall and charged towards the party. The first thing that stood out was its size. It was bipedal, and stood at almost fifteen feet tall. The hulking creature also had the speed of a horse, two pincers, two arms, birdlike talons, tusk-like teeth, and horns atop its head. The creature's hide was red, and its legs were covered in brown fur. Spikes adorned its upper body, and its roar shook through the whole party.

       "Well, welcome to Point Frost everyone." Eris said, rolling their eyes. None of the party were able to manage a chuckle through the immense fear that they felt of what was now charging towards them.