Fire and Ice (Venir/Mission)

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

Continuously rang through her head as she sat curled up in a small ball in an equally small cabin on the ship. There was no way that Venir could possibly get back to land at this point. The ship was already too far out at sea, and she didn't exactly have the best flight skills. Sure she could launch herself off of the ship but she wasn't experienced enough to continuously launch herself back to shore. That would mean risking a fall into cold water, which was one of the many reasons as to why the female mage was so uncomfortable upon the ship. She was surrounded by nothing but water with only a thin layer of flammable wood protecting her from its cold clutch. Venir was quite literally a match ready to strike on a ship made completely of wood. A match that had a nasty habit of spontaneous combustion if she wasn't focusing... One might wonder as to why such a dangerous person was placed in such a dangerous (for her) environment. It was through a series of coincidences and misconceptions, at least to her, that she had ended up on the god forsaken ship.


Her nose sniffed the air cautiously, smoke filling her senses. There was a fire somewhere in the city! Naturally the female mage followed her nose until it took her to a burning residential building, where a crowd had gathered. Water was tossed upon the flames but to no avail, and they were still waiting for some water mages to arrive. Just looking at the flickering, golden heat had Venir's stomach rumble. She wasn't a water mage but she might be able to do something about the fire... Quietly the blonde slipped her way through the crowd until she broke free into the front of it. Someone had shouted at her stop, that she was getting to close to the flames, but Venir did not falter. Another cautious sniff of the flames, Venir determined that they were edible. It was a bit awkward eating flames with a crowd about her, Venir herself still not entirely sure of her ability to eat fire. Taking a deep breath, her mouth opened wide, and the flames were slowly but steadily sucked in until nothing remained but the slightly charred home.

She huffed, a hand already rubbing her belly. Amethyst eyes slowly opened to see the crowd looking at her in what seemed to be awe. Color rose to the newfound slayers cheeks and she was quick to make her escape or at least attempt to. A man had shouted at her to stop, and always one to follow orders Venir did. The man had a certain gleam in his eyes, an excited grin set upon his features as he asked her one simple question. One that Venir gave an answer to,

She rubbed at the back of her blonde mane awkwardly, that same shade of rose tinted her cheeks. The man had followed up with a request of sorts, one that she readily agreed to. Being quick to help others was part of who Venir was, or at least continued to try to be. He needed the help of a fire mage, a strong one, and last Venir checked she was a fire mage and a rather strong one at that. It wasn't until he took her to a port with a great wooden ship docked that she had tried to get out of helping him, for his own safety of course. Yet the man would not have her backing out of her deal now. A hand had yanked on her orange scarf when she tried to leave, and he quite literally dragged the woman onto the ship.
Venir had never been one to enjoy traveling by boat, she herself having a nasty case of sea-sickness if the boat rocked too much. This was by no means some ailment because of her magic, she was not a dragon slayer, and she could handle other modes of transportation just fine provided that it did not float on water. Stumbling almost drunkenly the blonde had managed to force herself out onto the open deck of the ship. Immediately, she flung herself to the side, her torso hanging over the edge of the ships railing, her amethyst orbs locked onto the dark water below. At the least she had managed to keep the contents of her stomach down but she still felt a little nauseous. Cool almost cold wind felt pleasant against her overly heated skin, pushing back her fear of any spontaneous combustion for the moment. Though the wind cooled her, it did not save the railing from blackening under her touch as she unintentionally scorched the wood. A particular scent was carried on the wind, a smell that was all too familiar. It smelled like,


She took a deep whiff, the scent akin to her own flames but inherently different. "Oh yeah..." She realized, "That guy said something about another fire mage being on the ship..." They wanted strong fire mages for the mission right? Then surely the other mage was strong enough to handle himself, he didn't need her help right? Besides she must have looked rather pitiful. Half of her body over the edge of the ship, standing on the very tips of her toes just to get her body over the side, and the railing where it touched her skin had blackened.

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

She sniffed at the air again trying to decipher that smell. It was without a doubt similar to her own scent but was off. It hard to describe, ash and fire was the only words that came to mind. To most that would have been bad but to Venir it wasn't entirely unpleasant. If anything the scent would have been welcomed if not for a certain part of it. That scent had to have belonged to a fire mage, and perhaps that why it smelled off to her. Perhaps that mages flames smelled different than she was used to? Then again the only flames she was really used to was her own, and a handful of other types of fires. Chalking it up as nothing more than that, Venir's body slacked against the railing, her stomach calming down some now that her mind had been distracted from that queasy feeling. She was almost content if not for the sudden lurching of the ship as it hit a rough wave. The slayer had almost been fall straight overboard if not for her great deal of arm flailing. It was then that a voice rang through her ears.


The blonde braced her hands against the railing, leaving another set of burn marks on the wood. Slowly, she pulled herself back into an almost upright position. Amethyst orbs looked at the person who had addressed her. There stood a man, taller than her though that wasn't exactly an accomplishment to brag about, and he was clad in samurai armor accompanied with a large cloak. He certainly grabbed others attention. It must have been a flame user thing, to be so flashy and attention grabbing. Venir herself was guilty of the same. In a cold, even freezing environment, the fire user had a good chunk of bare skin exposed to the harsh wind though she seemed completely unaffected by it. The warmest thing she had on was an orange scarf looped about her neck. Other than that she was bold enough to be wearing shorts her pale thighs exposed to the cold air, a portion of her taut midsection was not covered by her rather thin looking jacket, and the jacket in question wasn't even buttoned up all the way leaving room for her ample chest to breath.


Didn't even begin to describe the female mage. All she had known for a good chunk of her known memory was the halls of her guild, the very halls she had left. Eclipise Soul was an isolated guild in the farthest reaches of the Phoenix Mountains. It was the very placement of that guild, and her inclination to only spend time with guild mates that Venir wasn't exactly knowledgeable of real world things. Enough so that she would not recgonize a guild master when one stood before her. Truth be told though not many would recognize the woman was an ex-Ace unless she had specifically told them. However, the blonde wasn't exactly inclined to speak of her guild or the position she had once held within it. Nor was she sure about speaking of her magic simply because of how unsure of it she was. Yet she would not withhold that particular information from the curious man.

"I mean I guess I am...." She scratched at the back of her nervously, sensing the ship for any other possible mages. There was only one other mages presence upon the ship, a strong mage at that, and that mage had apparently stood before her. "Wait then that must mean you're the..." She gasped finally putting two and two together. Where one of them was reserved the other was rather quick to excite. Slipping a few steps forward, she drew close but hadn't touched the man nor made no move to do so. Instead she sniffed once more finally confirming the source of the earlier scent. The blonde then pulled back and gave a sniff to her own scarf that without a doubt carried her own particular scent. Comparing and contrasting the two, the blonde could only cross her arms over her chest letting out a small huff of air. The lacrima in her belly twinged and twitched, burning in what felt like detest. On some primal, instinctual level it was as if her body was warning her by picking up even such a subtle difference in scents. A warning that clearly stated to stay away because when it came down to it one of them was the real deal and the other was a man made fake. Her body tended to pick up on such things faster than her mind did, in fact half the time it felt like her mind was trying to keep up with her body. Even now Venir had finally managed to give some explanation as to her sudden sniffing albeit a vague one,

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

Despite the island now being visible, it didn't do much to calm Venir's anxiousness. If anything it only heightened her want or rather need to get back to land. They simply could not get their fast enough. That and the distance between the island and the ship they were on was rather deceiving. Dark ocean waters blended in well together, thus making the island look not very far off despite it having to sail for a little while longer. At the man's words Venir's stomach lurched once more but for a different reason. Acting was never one of Venir's strong suits, and she couldn't keep a poker face to save her life. Which is why at the mere mention of Eclipse Soul her expression dropped significantly, skin going pale. She looked almost haunted without even realizing that she had shown any of these reactions. Regardless of what form she was in Venir was known for an abundance of emotion yet it was only as of late that it felt like her emotions were being heightened, amplified, and she was beginning to feel negative emotions that she hadn't necessarily felt with such force before.

A nervous laugh escaped her lips as she scratched at the back of her head awkwardly. It wasn't a lie but it wasn't exactly the truth either. Speaking in technical terms Venir was indeed from Eclipse Soul but in all honesty she couldn't say that she still hailed from Eclipse Soul now. Word had not yet traveled around Fiore about the closing of the guild after... After a certain incident that involved Venir herself. It had always been such an isolated guild keeping only to itself and to its members. Which is why it would quietly slip away, most of Fiore probably wouldn't notice its disappearance and destruction for sometime. Though that did nothing to ease the crushing guilt upon her heart. Memories of that day were quite literally burned into her memory. She could still recall the rage, the chaos, the pain, and all of the fire. Oh how it burned, how she burned, just recalling that made her heart pound but twinge at the same time! Snapping out of her train of thought, Venir tried to slow the quickening of her heart by placing her utmost attention on the mage or rather guild master before her.

She practically squeaked in almost child like awe. One could almost see the sparkles in her amethyst gems. A real, live, guild master! Venir had only known two guild masters in her entire life, both of them having been too close to her as friends to have been looked at with such awe. This would be her first meeting with a guild master who had not been her own master and friend alike! "I apologize! I didn't realize I was in the presence of someone with such a position!" She gave a quick bow of her head, "I should have sensed you earlier!" Though truth be told it wasn't as if she was a pro at distinguishing one scent from another just yet. Besides there wasn't exactly a plethora of fire god slayers around for her to collect scents on either. "Venir RuLush!" She offered a hand to shake assuming that a fellow flame god slayer would be able to handle even her burning touch.

Once again awkward, and suspicious as if she trying to dodge the question. She herself couldn't really elaborate much on her magic as she was still learning it. Where other second generations might have gotten their magic willingly, Venir simply had it thrust upon her. Only recently did that lacrima stir back to life after having been dormant for years. A lacrima that Venir did not place there herself, and did not know of its existence until-

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

"Equals huh?" She raised a golden brow in question clearly skeptical not of him but more of herself. In return to his casual salute, Venir gave her own mock salute back managing a small smile. Still, the blonde found herself rather hung up on the difference between him and her own previous guild masters. Yet she couldn't quite articulate the difference just yet. "Right!" She chirped without really realizing what he said. She held her fist up as well letting her own mass of black flames gather around it. Her's was larger but not because she was stronger but as a sign of her own inexperience and lack of control, another few inches up in to the air and Venir was risking setting the whole ship ablaze but luckily that didn't happen. However, she did take notice of the different levels of enthusiasm between them; small things like that Venir tended to pick up on faster than the larger and often times more important things. It was only then that she could finally figure out just why he seemed so different compared to the previous guildmasters she had encountered,


She almost was about to say something, "Old man" was already poised at the edge of her tongue when her short attention span was directed elsewhere. "Oh my things!" The flames on her hand extinguished when her attention was drawn elsewhere. With that the blonde dashed away back into the interior of the ship. The quicker she got her things, the faster she could get off of the ship! All she had was a small backpack of sorts packed with an extra pair of clothes and a few snacks.



With her bag slung over her shoulder Venir jumped off the ship as well, nearly overshooting into the water instead of the dock. She hit the very edge of the dock with such force that she fell to her knee's almost hugging the iced over dock right there, "Land!" She internally confessed her love for the unrocking stability that land offered her. Having an abundance of energy Venir quickly sprang back up to her feet at the sound of Ardere's voice. "Right to the wall!" She held her fist to the sky once more a clear sign of her excitement until her expression suddenly dropped. Clear out the monsters that hit the wall first? There was going to be monsters? He did say something about ice monsters earlier didn't he? "Oh nooooooooooo.....When they said strong fire mage and snowfall island I thought..." Venir followed along like a kicked puppy, one that was desperately trying to get herself out of an unintentional mess, "I thought they needed fire mages to like warm the people up....That guy never told me I was going to do! He never mentioned ice monsters!" Internally crying, Venir still obediently followed along not quite as energetic. How on earth was she going to elaborate to Ardere that she wasn't the mage for the job or that she was the dummy who thought they were just there to warm people up? The last time she had used her magic for serious combat she had ended up blowing her entire guild up and losing complete control of herself. Deciding that she must have misheard her fellow god slayer Venir quickly questioned him without really thinking what she was saying,

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

Venir had to do a double take at "kid" thinking that he was joking. He didn't actually have a kid right? Yet he seemed as serious as ever. "He has a kid." She seemed almost shocked unable to wrap her head around such a physically young mage, a guild master no less, having a child of his own. Wasn't one's guild essentially their child? Her head was practically spinning as she scrutinized the man looking for any hint of him lying to her or some feature that would give away his status as a parent. No matter how hard she looked he didn't seem to grow any older or more father like but he did still have that sense of "old" about him. "Maaaaaaaaan you make me feel like a kid!"She huffed to her self, arms crossing over her chest. She only physically appeared to be in her early twenties but mentally at times she seemed to be far behind but that was by no fault of her own. On the other hand her temporary partner was the opposite, appearing to be in his mid to late twenties but far older mentally. It was just a strange thing to her really, parents and parenthood. They were yet another thing in which Venir hadn't really knowingly encountered, but in a strange way she idolized them as well. Her lack of her own parents was probably the cause for that, not to mention her lack of memory. All she knew was that she was at a facility for sometime as a child, "A lacrima facility." She shuddered, the said object in her belly almost twitching in response.

He had only confirmed if not heightened her fears. She didn't sign up for such an important task! Trying to quell the panic that was rising in her Venir could only huff as they passed by colorful shops and people alike. "Just stay in control." It was easier said than done, "Don't get mad." The ice wall was beginning to loom over them, a truly massive structure, "And whatever happens don't end up hitting him." Amethyst orbs shifted from the wall to the fire mage next to her. He was strong, she had no doubt of that but that didn't mean he was safe. In her own mind she was the most dangerous thing on the mission. An out of control cannon that had nothing to lose accompanied by someone who had a home and family to get back to.

Venir gave an elaborate swoop of her arms gesturing towards the stairs managing to give a small toothy grin. It was too late to back out now. She supposed she ought to warn him but that could freak him out, which would only freak her out in the process. The climb up the stairs was a long one, even making Venir feel a little tired once they finished their climb but it was well worth the view. "All of this is relying on two mages to protect it?" That thought alone almost made her dizzy, no longer feeling quite as confident about being there. She gave a small rather awkward wave to the man who saluted them but for the first time on the trip she did remain quiet. For one who adored socializing and being around others her social skills needed to be worked on. She remained silent while the man explained absorbing as much of the information he gave as possible. Only when he departed allowing the two mages to do as they pleased did Venir finally speak up, "Wait here?" She pointed down at the icy wall in which they stood upon. She didn't have a fear of heights or anything but...Her gaze flickered back to the city on the unfrozen side of the wall. If any fighting broke out that would put them at a risk not just from monsters but from herself as well. "Why not go down there ya know exploring or-" In her nervous excitement she slipped upon the icy structure, her boots not exactly having the best traction on solid ice.

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

A fleeting feeling of weightlessness that often times accompanied falling was soon put to an end. Out of habit she made a great deal of flailing despite having one of her arms secured. A few times she had almost struck her partner, both their shoes squeaking upon the icy surface until at long last Venir was more or less forced back into a standing position no longer in peril of falling. "If only I could have!" She rolled her eyes at his comment, if she cracked her head open then she wouldn't be putting so many people in danger. Before she could even consider trying to fall once more, this time on purpose, a sudden rustling of tree's and a certain scent in the air caught her attention. Dead and dying tree's waved back and forth as something large pushed its way through them sending the snow that had piled up on the tree's down to the ground. The scent itself was icy, cool, repulsive but alluring at the same time. It made her nose crinkle in dislike but the rest of her body reacted akin to excitement. A pool of fire was already gathering in her belly just at the scent alone, she could only imagine what sort of reaction she might have if she actually saw the creatures themselves. Yet her mind screamed in detest, she had never been one to enjoy a good fight yet now her body was itching at a chance to rumble, to tussle in snow, and feel something smash or melt against her fists. It was a feeling that could only be described as:


Something that defied logic and reason just as her very existence had. All of her reactions were infantile, completely new and foreign to her body that had suddenly and so rapidly changed only a few week prior. It was obvious too with how she quivered; her mind telling her it was in fear but another part of her said it was in nervous excitement. Unlike her partner she hadn't had much time to learn and understand the reactions, to adapt to them, to control them. "S-Sounds good." Her breath steamed out in front of her when she spoke, her mind barely registering the sound of the guards leaving at Ardere's command. She watched for a moment in awe, like a child watching a superhero, as her partner in samurai armor and all fell from the great wall. Out of instinct she rushed to the edge, nearly slipping over it herself to make sure he wasn't committing suicide or anything of the like. He seemed fine, and knew what he was doing unlike the blonde atop the wall. Another wary glance down at the snow covered ground, and the icy monsters that emerged from the tree line, and Venir let loose a huff of air.


Her heart was hammering in her chest as she dug her boots into the icy wall creating a harsh squeak. Positioned like a runner ready to make a dash, Venir pushed herself forward and off the icy wall, a blast of dark flames propelling her through the air. Chilled wind nipped and sliced at her exposed skin but felt almost pleasant against her overheated body. Another blast of dark flames and her body was propelled further through the air, the recoil of the flames carrying her farther and farther. Neither graceful, nor elegant, an excited holler escaped her lips to match the almost silly way in which she flew. Surely all the birds and all the mages who could fly out there were mocking her barbaric form of flight. She lacked control but had some grasp as to how to stay up in the air, and even could maneuver this way and that a bit, but landing was another story.

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

She didn't know why she told the ice beast to get out of the way, perhaps it was a force of habit, some part of her still feared harming others, even if they happened to be an enemy. Her warning went unheeded though. The icy creature neither moved out of the way nor seemed to understand her. At the speeds she was flying into it, it didn't even notice her presence until it was too late. "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-" There was no brakes, or landing gears, or slowing down for Venir, there was only a crash landing. Crash didn't even begin to describe just what happened when she hit the ice monster. Her impact was slightly angled but on top of the creature, she went in boots first. The ice of the creatures cracked from her impact alone, but her velocity kept her moving forward sliding down its back at high speeds. Which was bad for both the creature and Venir herself. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" The yell slipped out of her lips, and instinctively her hands covered her head. The creature sported ice like wings, incapable of flight, and various other ice like spikes on its back but it did not have those protrusions for very long. Her initial impact did little to slow her down, and Venir's body went through the icy wings and spike alike as if they were made out of paper. Of course, that didn't mean they felt like paper... Her speed had carried her off of the creature, and she ended up sliding out along snow and ice for easily fifteen or so meters before she came to a stop.


She rubbed at her back which had been subjected to most of the ice spikes and wings that she had torn through. She ached and her head was still spinning but at the least she was alive, and still capable of movement. "Mental note landing needs improvement." Venir would have to practice her flight skills or rather her landing skills another time... A sudden shadow fell over the blonde slayer, and the rumbling of the earth beneath her was never a good sign."Oh my goddess you don't look happy!" Didn't even begin to describe the enraged state of the creature that was now missing its ice wings and others things upon its back. Amethyst eyes widened in shock as the creature stood over her its cold jaws held open, letting loose a frosty roar right in her face. The roar itself made her ears ring, dazing her for a moment until she saw light beginning to builds its way up the creatures throat. Instinct again drove the blonde into action before the creature could exhale a blast of ice at her. She sucked in a large gulp of air, "Flame Goddess' Bellow!" and soon released that breath. A spew of black flames escaped her lip, enveloping the creatures face in a blast of flames. She kept up the torrent of flames for as long as she could until her lungs began to burn for oxygen. The flames ended and the ice guardian seemed to have lost its cold head to the Venir's inferno.

Her victory was short lived as its body began to fall, tons of ice and wicked icicles threatening to crush the young slayer. She kicked and flailed herself backwards, sliding along ice and snow to no avail. Until finally, she let loose another burst of flames this time from her hands, propelling her body once more at high speeds. At the least she wasn't crushed by the first creature, but one would assume that Venir would have learned by now that no good comes from throwing yourself around like a ping pong ball at high speeds. Her head of messy golden tresses soon collided with something all too solid, and all too cold. "Ouch!" Her hands flew up to her temple rubbing at the growing lump there. When she opened her eyes she was met with an all too familiar cold face...

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

There was a moment in which time seemed to stand still, warm violet pools meeting a frozen soulless pair that almost seemed to peer right through her. Venir was certain that if not for her flame body, she'd be shivering from the stare alone. Scratch that she'd probably be dead from its stare alone. She was half tempted to say something witty, sarcastic, and more than likely stupid but it wasn't as if the creature would enjoy her humor, or really understand it, let along get riled up by it. She did at the least offer the creature a hesitant grin, hands up in the universal sign of friendliness. For the briefest of moments it was as if there was a connection between the two, though that could have been wishful thinking on Venir's part. It was probably the latter option considering that only a moment later the creature raised the icy blade formed unto its arm. It let loose an ear-splitting roar and it brought the frigid blade down.

She tucked and rolled to the side, the large blade narrowly missing her. A plummet of snow, ice, and earth was sent up around the sword from the sheer weight and power behind the attack. Venir was sent up along with the debris, rolling off to the side, and landing on all fours with all the grace of a cat. The snow about her hissed, melting from her very presence, as she slid to a stop. Her heart was pounding in her chest, a smirk having found its way to her lips. Poised like a runner, the slayer did not move until her opponent did as well. For such a large ice monster, it moved surprisingly fast. However, it was still large and cumbersome where as Venir was petite, able to maneuver about easily, and strike with some power. A flurry of strikes with nothing but her bare fists hit the beasts front leg, cracking the ice wherever her fists landed. Eventually the ice crumpled and its leg gave out, the creature letting out another frosty shriek. Still, it wasn't quite ready to give up and neither was Venir as she shook out her fists, shaking off the numbness in them.


After a rather drawn out battle of nothing more than physical prowess, and somehow the slayer had managed to come out on top. Then again when it came to ice and fire, the latter generally trumped the first. Venir did of course give some credit to her slayer body, and her body in general to taking down the ice guardian. Not only did she have the strength to rival a goddess but her body despite seeming solid, and entirely human was made of flames. These flames to their credit, could look and feel like her own skin save for the rather high temperatures, but they could also be hardened so to speak just to add a little bit more of an "umph" to her punches. Also phasing attacks straight through her could come in hand, they still hurt but at least she burned her enemies while she was at it. Though phasing attacks through her did nothing to help the blonde when the ice guardian crumpled down on top of her, whatever semblance of life that was in it had long since departed.


She flailed, not necessarily in pain but in discomfort. At least her upper half wasn't covered by the large chunks of ice, so it let her flail her arms out and call out for her temporary partner, one that she hadn't seen in some time. Venir was almost half-worried for him, but he seemed more capable then herself. At the least he wasn't the dummy that stood in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was trapped under the fallen ice guardian. "Worst case scenario I can sit and wait for this big block of ice to melt..." Already the ice near her body was melting some, but not at a very fast rate. In fact the steady dripping of the chilled water on the exposed parts of her skin was anything but pleasant, this sensation actually making her shudder.

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

Venir did not have to wait long as her partner came to her rescue. Though of course even such a short wait felt like an eternity to the bubbling ball of energy, and the incessant dripping of melting ice upon her made the wait even more torturous. Even when he appeared, Venir harbored some doubts as to how he might get her out. Yanking her by the arms would hurt, and she didn't want him to melt the block of ice as all the water would come down upon her, and moving it? Well, that seemed out of the question. However, in a world of magic the impossible often times was very possible. As proved by the male mage, who put all his physical efforts into lifting the block of ice that was once a living beast. Venir wasted no time in squirming away from the creature the moment it was lifted enough for her to escape. With a resounding crack the body of the ice creature split into countless chunks, raining down upon the snowy surroundings. "Such monstrous strength!" She could only imagine how the other creatures might have faired against Ardere, but she chalked up as the skill and might of a guild master.

"Thanks!" She chirped pleasantly, grasping his hand firmly in her own she allowed him to pull her up. He clearly wouldn't have any struggles pulling her up to her feet considering his previous feat. Despite having been trapped under a large block of ice only moment prior, Venir seemed to be fine save for her damp clothes, but even those were rapidly drying with her unnatural body heat. Violet hues glanced back towards the wall and the men that stood atop it. Gathered along its edge they looked like eager spectators, was this perhaps the first time they had seen mages defeat the large ice beasts? "Bye~! Be careful!" She waved her hand, again and again in good nature. For a moment she thought the men might not have saw the wave of her hand, the two of them had to have looked like nothing more than red and gold spots upon the snow from so high up. At long last a few of the men gave shy waves in return, and the blonde grinned turning to her partner, "After you!" Now that they would be traveling away from anyone that could get hurt, Venir was more inclined to show her usual self. Energetic, bright, always eager, she made for the perfect image of youthful optimism.

Always a few feet behind, Venir let Ardere take the lead. With such experience and strength it was only natural that he lead. That and his stature allowed for Venir to use him as a wind shield, keeping most of the frigid winds away from her less protected body. She wasn't bundled up in armor like her partner, and she was far from cold. However, she didn't want to push her luck in a magically induced blizzard. "Yeah, some of these icicles are my body length!" She shivered, slipping around a said icicle that hung from an iced over tree. When they had first entered the forest of ice, Venir had trailed her fingers along everything, like a child in a candy store. Her powers were new, and there was something particularly pleasing about watching things melt with just a touch of her hand. As they progressed deeper though, her touch could no longer melt upon contact, and the ice was so cold it was akin to a burn upon her fingers. Thus Venir kept her hands to herself, and her attention focused upon the back of Ardere, unable to see around him considering her own rather petite stature. Her childishness did not seem to be limited to actions but also to patience,

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

His words did not bring the hope in which she was looking for, and the mention of mountains only made her already pale skin go paler. "Up a mountain?" She echoed back. It wasn't that she was lazy, in fact she was far from it. Rather the poor conditions in which they were trekking through made anything seem almost unbearable. "Well, I used to live in the Phoenix Mountains so this is gonna be a piece of-" The blonde paused for a moment realizing her mistake, "It's gonna be a piece of cake." She shrugged, casting her violet gaze elsewhere. Perhaps she was just overreacting. Surely plenty of people lived in the Phoenix Mountains but still a mage that claimed to be from the Phoenix Mountains but not necessarily from Eclipse Soul was rather suspicious. Especially considering the curious circumstances in which the Eclipse Soul guild burned down to the ground. Regardless of the possible or not possible suspicions that might be brought out, Venir was very quick to change the subject, "Burn a hole straight through a mountain of solid ice? Sounds fun but time consuming." Then again it depended on just how much effort they put into it, with an experienced flame slayer and one who was still learning the extent of her powers? The possible results in which they could produce was exponential.

Farther and farther they traveled into the woods, each step was more difficult than the last. Temperatures were low enough to freeze a normal human, and Ardere was right. Anyone else would have gotten stuck in snow. "I might even get stuck..." If Ardere wasn't just plowing his way through the snow in front of her she would certainly be stuck. Even from behind him Venir was struggling. Their difference in height wasn't very large but it was just large enough that Venir had to pick up each foot, to place it into his footsteps, in a marching like motion. However, the cold was making it increasingly difficult. Unlike her fellow slayer, she had not dressed appropriately for this weather. Doing her best to hide the effect of the cold on her, she pulled the scarf tightly about her face, covering her reddening nose, and chattering teeth. Her arms were crossed tightly about her chest, fingers curled into fists as she followed along as quietly as she could. Eventually, they came upon the mountain in question. It looked more like a block of solid ice then it did a mountain, and just the thought of the other side made her body quake in....coldness.


It was supposed to be a, "Got it" but from behind her scarf it came as just a muffled mutter. She even gave him a half hearted, almost pathetic thumbs up as she stood there quaking behind him. Venir then motioned for him to take the lead. Near the mountain the snow was almost up to her waist, and her doing any sort of leading would be a terrible idea. Pushing her way through the snow? Bracing the cold front herself? She could already imagine a build of frost upon her clothes, and could only pray that the her flame body would keep her own skin safe from possible frost bite. This was yet another experiment, seeing just how far her body and magic can be pushed.

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

Blowing a hole through the mountain wasn't exactly a viable option but climbing it wasn't thrilling either. That meant that they'd be physically touching the icy mountain, hiking up its perilous slopes, and braving against whatever may lie in wait. "Can he fly?" She was half-tempted to ask but she was exactly thrilled about the answer, nor could she vouch if even she could fly in such poor conditions. She could propel herself at high speeds but steering and landing were difficult, and she wasn't certain if she could carry him along for the side. He stood a better chance than most considering he was practically fire proof but weight wise? Well, he wasn't overweight, there simply was a rather large size difference between them. "This is gonna be a long trek." She sighed, watching her own breath fog about her before her violet gaze was focused on the mountain of ice before them.

She had to crane her neck all the way back just to look at the top of the mountain, and its peak was concealed by dark ominous storm clouds. Carefully, her warm palm hovered next to the icy mountain, her skin not making contact with the chilly surface. Even from a distance the cold permeated from it, sunk into her bones, and sat there. "I have a bad feeling about this..." She muttered, voice lost to the wind. Even if her gut told her this was a bad idea, it wasn't as if the two had any other choice. All they could do was climb the mountain before them! Climbing proved to be a challenge that progressively got harder and harder for the young blonde mage. "Shit. I can barely feel my hands. This cold isn't like that time I was with Iza." She had ventured into cold, icy territories before but none that were caused by some sinister ice wizard. Ignoring her numbed fingers, Venir kept her pace doing her best to try and not cause much trouble. Her incessant shivering made it rather difficult, but for the most part she hadn't slipped yet. "I'm alive." Her response held the slightest bit of irritation in it, but she couldn't help herself. Her magic had made her far more temperamental than she used to be, the cold only fanning the flames of anger that was began to burn beneath the surface.


She had caught the scent just a moment after Ardere had warned her. It was to be expected that the icy monsters try and ambush them when they vulnerable and climbing. That didn't make her any less irritated that the damn monsters were returning so soon. Venir pulled herself up onto the icy ledge with a grunt of effort. Already the lacrima in her belly was heating up in preparation for combat, and the feeling was welcomed to say the least. It almost made her irritation fade, almost. She peered about trying to spot the said enemies, reddened nose sniffing the air. When the wind shifted directions just slightly, she caught the scent again, "There!" She pointed towards the source of the scent, and with such keen eyesight she was able to spot the creatures with ease. "More of these assholes?" She growled, almost threatening if not for the chattering of her teeth. "You think they'd have learned by now..." She cracked her still chilled fingers, but they were beginning to thaw some now that she let her anger burn its way through her.