The Vintermyr Tradition [Ulver Knytte Job | Mura & Kiru]

Job Desc:

Ah, as early as it was, the shaman couldn’t help but wake up to the instant pain that rushed through his body when the watch fell down on him during his sleep. Pained, it was rather necessary for him to keep waking up this early, and despite the annoyance of the falling watch, he had gotten so used to it that the pain numbed away in an instant. Kyuken and Zirconis were, surprisingly, still asleep despite their ghostly conditions, and even Mura found it weird that those spirits could sleep as well. What was with all the ‘everlasting, tireless, restless ghosts’ that used to be the stereotype for wandering spirits? Walking out of his bedroom, he thought a little about that weird fact that people often based spirits upon. As he looked around his hallway that lead to both the living room, kitchen and bathroom, it appeared to be just another, silent morning. Though… the absence of those animals from long back in the day cut his chest a little. He really missed those guys… well, they had served their time on this plane. He could only hope for the best for Kyuken and Zirconis as well, until the time came where they would move on as well.

Having prepared a soft breakfast - natto with white rice and raw eggs - he then ate with a calmed state of mind. This morning was silent… calmer than he expected a morning in Magnolia Town to be. However, living the life as a guild wizard, he was almost completely certain that something would come up later. For now, he simply enjoyed his breakfast, pleasant and energetic. That was when Kyuken soared by with a tired face, having woken up a few minutes after Mura left the bedroom. “Uhhhh…” the samurai ghost hummed, “What’s the clock again..?” “It’s 6 in the morning,” Mura quickly replied as he finished his natto, wiping the bowl clean again and laying it back on the shelf. He then went towards the front door to catch some fresh air in shorts only, but when he opened the door, what caught his eyes first was the mysterious note that he found lying on the ground. “Eh?” he let out quickly, picking up the letter and curiously reading it up, “Cake… for the party… debt… debt… debt… debt… de- what?” His words got confused and strangled around as he read the letter up; apparently, he had been granted nothing else than a debt for a red velvet cake. Something smelled very, very fishy about this, because last time that he remembered… red velvet cake…

He was quickly on the move, having left his home even while forgetting to take any jewels with him. He was insanely curious about this debt and what it was for, because the red velvet cake from the Halloween party was for free… he remembered having shared it with the silver-furred tanuki and all that. Was it because that he ate 9/10 of it? What kind of joke was this? Kyuken and Zirconis were quick to follow up on him, and as he soared across the borders of Magnolia Town, the dragon asked him: “Mura… you don’t often look so steel-minded, you know. What was written on that paper?” The shaman had begun sweating a little due to how twisted that this situation was for him; what a childish prank to pull. Yes, he had a feeling that it was all a prank from the Bakedanuki, but how could he be sure? He just got the news of this debt. “… I think that I’m in trouble, guys,” he replied back to the two ghosts, in which they both sweated worryingly.

The note asked him to meet up in Rose Garden, and so, here was where he landed, having equipped his Toad Hermit gi; on top of that, he also wore a type of cloak that only reached to below his elbows with his arms folded down, emitting five tomoe’s with different colors around the collar. Harusame was also equipped on his back as he landed, looking around like a paranoid person. “… This can’t be, can it…?”

WC: 693

Tick.. Tick... Tick...

It was that time already, wasn't it? Kiru, Ace of hearts within the renowned wizarding guild of Black Rose sat dormant in a dark room. No windows, and one light. A dim lamp in the corner that obscured the majority of the room in shadow. In the center was a desk in which Kiru sat at, her hands folded in front of her head as her elbows leaned on the table. Her cyan gaze watching the only other object in the room, a solitary clock ticking away. Located on the desk were a few items. A small stack of papers in the corner, a large book in front of the demon slayer, and a solitary inkwell beside it with a fresh quill waiting to be used. This was Kiru's office where she conducted interviews with those who willingly came to discuss the debts that they owed to the guild. As chief of finance, it was her job to make sure all debts were paid, no matter the cost. She was glad she had gotten to use this office though. Too often were people not willing to meet the payments of the guild, and thus forced Kiru to track them down and acquire the money through other means. Often times is wasn't a peaceful solution, but it got the job done, and Kiru's point across. She only came in here when someone was willing to speak about their situation to the demon slayer, rather than just ignore the debts they owed and hoped the guild would forget. May have worked against Kiru now that she had a reputation for beating people who didn't pay their due, but contrary to that belief she was perfectly capable and willing to negotiate another alternative if those behind couldn't afford the tax.

Of course, the more capable the person was, the more challenging the alternate deal would be...

And that is exactly what was going to happen today. As the clock struck 7, Kiru would open the door of her office by way of magic and two tall men would step through. First catch of the day it seemed. She wouldn't even look at them as they walked in. They shared equal height. One had blonde short hair, the other had longer black. They both wore torn up muscle shirts exposing their muscular arms. On both of their shoulders was a single mark. The mark of a lesser known independent guild known simply as "Raven's Dusk" The door closed behind the two gentlemen as Kiru opened her book, and put on her reading glasses. They both stood there, waiting for a response as she flipped through the pages. Finally it seemed she had found what she had been looking for, and Kiru flicked her gaze up to the two. "Raven's Dusk guild. Wizards Jerik Baron, and Calen Home. Came to Rose Garden on the 23rd of Semptember. Purpose: Came to acquire 2 books from Black Rose's expansive library. One titled 'The properties of fire magic' And 'Shade magic made easy.' Billed the rental cost to the Raven's Dusk guild... Raven's Dusk guild refused to pay, and claimed it did not cover the expenses of the guildmembers during their free time." Finally her cold gaze flicked back upwards to the two men who stared at her with bored expressions. "So then. I trust you two know what must be done? We can make this easy and you can pay up now... Or we will have to discuss other terms."

As Mura landed within the streets of Rose Garden the weather would take a turn. Dark clouds hung overhead and it started to drizzle. It wouldn't be long until someone approached Mura and company. A cloaked man bearing the Black Rose guildmark. "Mura Kensho?" He asked. "If you would please follow me, we're expecting you." The man then turned and would lead the Spirit slayer towards the Silvermoon Inn. As they entered, the guild was rather alive. Multiple wizards sat at the many tables along with regular patrons here for the drink and bed. Steam and smoke emanated from the kitchen behind the bar and with it smells of food. The request board was rather popular as well, as a few wizards looking for excitement were mulling it over. The man would direct Mura passed the bar and up the stairs. They reached a long hallway with numbered doors on each side. Labeling the rooms of the inn. "Just this way." She spoke turning a corner to another equally long hallway. He held up his hand to signal the samurai to hold. There was a sound coming from one of the rooms... It sounded like Yelling?

With a powerful explosion of white water the door cracked open as two muscular men flew out and indented the walls on the other side of the hallway. They were soaking wet, and knocked out cold. "She's ready for you now." The cloaked man would say with a chuckle, bowing and moving out of the Samurai's way. Kiru would be sitting at her desk writing something in her large book, appearing to have not even moved. She wouldn't look up until Mura stepped into her office.

His head rolled around, almost, checking every corner of the garden that he landed on. Some people were passing by and minding their own business, while at other places, a cook was advertising for a brand-new wine. Kyuken kept his eyes on Mura, though, because they were still not satisfied with the ‘trouble’ thing; what exactly had the shaman gotten himself into? The shaman still held the paper on his hand, in which the debt about a darn cake was written. “… Hey, Mura,” Kyuken calmly spoke to the softly paranoid Onmyōji, “What… what exactly happened?” After a brief moment of silence, Mura would turn his head towards theirs in a pool of sweat, difficultly speaking: “… Kyuken. Do you remember the party with the velvet cake..?” Extremely curious and cliff-hanging, the samurai ghost nodded, in which Mura had a chance to continue with his explanation as he held up the paper, “I… I got a debt from it. It doesn’t look good at all…” “A debt?!” Kyuken emitted, “B-But you never gamble! I’ve never seen you participate in any of my games at all, and now you decide to-“ “Wait, wait, it’s not about gambling, listen to me..!” the shaman tried to calm down the highly misinformed ghost, but he was soon addressed to by a total stranger, a phenomenon that shook him more than normally due to the situation that he was in. Taking a deep breath, he concluded that worrying perhaps would make it worse as he turned around to face that person…

This cloaked man bore a symbol, a guildmark on him. The shaman could’ve sworn that he saw the same guildmark on Kazehime back at the party, in which he replied: “… Yes. That’s me.” The male asked him to follow him as they were expecting him, stating that the cloaked man wasn’t the only one awaiting the Fairy Tail swordsman’s arrival. He had no choice but to follow the man as they went into an inn called Silvermoon, a neat name for such a fancy inn like this. It was also a very lively atmosphere inside as many wizards and people around the tables blabbered and spoke loudly about this and that. Mura, however, was directed pass the bar and as he was walking up the stairs, Kyuken and Zirconis were conversing behind them:

“Gila… do you think that he got himself involved with… syndicates?”
“Syndicates? Isn’t this place a wizard guild?”
“I guess, but… it feels weird… as if the boy committed a crime. He sure did in my book…”
“Look, he never gambled, okay?”
“How can you tell?! He probably plays roulette or Go or Renju or Shogi or Ninuki-renju or-“
“S-Stop mentioning random words out like that! It really pisses me off..!”
“That’s easy to say for someone who doesn’t understand Midian culture, you dry-skinned wreck-up!”
“What did you say, you perverted assaulter! Do you want to taste my fangs?!”

Mura could seriously need some time to think things through, but… a single thought passed him… where was his wallet? Rather, where was that little purse where his jewels were stored? Had he, of all things, forgotten that? He kept checking himself with his hands and stroked them up and down as the cloaked male lead him across a hallway, leading to one of the last doors. That was when Mura’s movement stopped as two muscular males went pass them in a beam of water. The liquid was white and clear in colour, very much alike to quicksilver, just clearer. The two males who flew by had passed out cold, and Mura wasn’t exactly eager to meet whoever awaited him. “… Uh-“ he was about to speak up, but the male who lead him here told him that she was ready for him. The shaman had a sweat trickle down his forehead, but… he quickly advanced and entered the room.

It was dark. The only source of light was a dimp lamp in the corner of the room, and at the middle was a desk where a white-and-black-haired girl was sitting, writing down notes in an enormous book. So this must’ve been the one who sent him the debt… that made it a perfect opportunity to ask: “Hey, there… you guys sent me this, right?” He held up the white paper that he got back at Magnolia Town for her to see, if she would even stand up and look at him. With the two spirits soaring on each side of his head, his face was… mild, unlike what even he himself expected. It was as if that breath which he took earlier had gotten rid of the worries as he merely wished to clarify things a little.

WC: 1480

As a shadow formed over her head, Kiru finally took her gaze off of the large book situated in front of her to stare up at someone else. The samurai from the Fairy Tail guild. Her emotion did not change. She simply looked him over with her usual blank, cold, expression. Kiru would look at him for a minute before returning back to her book, continuing to finish up on the last few details that needed her signature and other minor recordings that would be needed for an incident such as this one. It was all rather tedious work, but she had to do it. Kiru was fairly organized, and needed to keep herself that way, lest she lose some vital information about the guild's finance that could prove to be costly.

Finally finishing her last point, the slayer placed the quill back in the ink well and flipped through the book again. She flipped through several pages until at last she had seemingly arrived at the one she was looking for. She paused, staring it down for a couple of seconds before turning back to Mura who still appeared to be equally as confused. Sighing, Kiru clasped her hands together over the book. "You're Mura Kensho, right? Of the Fairy Tail guild?" She asked, but by the monotone of her voice, it was evident that question was meant to be rhetorical. Before Mura could say anything, she continued. "Well then Mr. Kensho, allow me to drop the formality. Since my guildmaster is apparently a friend of yours. I see no need for tedious speech. My name is Kiru,
ace of hearts."

She gazed him over, trying to ignore the other two spirits floating around him. He seemed younger than she expected. Not that it really mattered. "It's come to my attention that recently you and Izayuki had an encounter. The reason of this venture is not the guild's concern, but what is the guild's concern is the activities that took place during said venture." She dragged a finger across the wide page. "According to our records, the two of you had ordered a large 12 foot tall, 15 foot wide Red Velvet cake. Specially made by the guild's world renowned chef Magna...
In which you had consumed 9/10th's of it." Her cyan gazed looked at him again. "I hope you do realize how expensive such a dessert is to make. It was made under the impression of the guildmaster's orders. However, since you were the one who consumed most of it, it appears you owe the guild to cover for the kitchen expenses that were made for the creation of said cake." She shut the book suddenly, the large object making a rather loud bang as it closed.

"You wouldn't happen to have the money on you now, would you?"

1352 Words.

He wasn’t expecting it, but having been looked over by the girl who was writing down all the notes, he got a pretty familiar feeling. It reminded him of how Sorano used to look at him… every single time that they were together. It was empty for colors, cold, almost dead looks. He couldn’t see much detail, though, due to the faint light, but his worry got toned down by the familiar look. He simply nodded to her rather rhetorical question, not fully sure of himself whether she truly was in need of an answer or not. She did mention her knowledge about him, exemplifying the fact that he was a friend of her Guildmaster. That quickly moved his thoughts towards the little fluff ball, but did that mean that she had pulled this off? Did Izayuki really expect a debt for a cake? If he remembered correctly, she couldn’t exactly eat much more than 1/10 given her small size, so… was he in big trouble or was it just something else?

Continuing to listen to what she had to say, lest he would be followed out of the room with a white tsunami on his back, he took notice of how big that the cake actually was… and despite his lack of memory of the cake’s actual size, it couldn’t have been that huge, could it? Or did he eat it so ferociously that he barely got to examine its size at all? Also, he thought that the cake was for him because of his guest status, he never thought of paying for it… damn, he began feeling like a minor criminal already as she told about the cake’s maker and how expensive that the cake was. His eyes were, despite the shadowy area, covered in a dark-purple mist that clearly indicated his grief over what he just got himself into. It all climaxed with her last question to him about whether he had the money on him, in which his face dropped a sweat pearl.

“… Not really,” his voice let out with a tone that indicated how he tried to hold his anxiety back, “Honestly, I kind of hurried over here when I got the letter, and… I was a bit surprised that I had to pay for the expenses, and I thought that it was okay to eat so much of the cake due to your Guildmaster’s small size, and-“ His words were cut off by a blue spirit ball that lit up the room, pressing up against his left cheek as a face erupted from it, commenting: “W-Wait a second! Before you do anything, isn’t there another way to pay the debt?! He’s genuinely sorry, and it would take too long to get the jewels that he has to pay with! There must be an alternative, right..?!”

WC: 1952

Kiru continued to eye the spirit slayer carefully as he chose his next words... And they were not what she had been hoping for. By the tone of his voice, Kiru could tell he was obviously nervous about the whole situation, especially when he had realized it was about the massive cake he had ordered with Izayuki. She could see why he may have easily forgotten about it, as Kiru was sure Izayuki did little to remind Mura about the actual cost of it. She never really seemed to take an interest in the guild's financial standpoint. That was, again, Kiru's job after all. None of that mattered now, though. It seemed Mura was not as organized as Kiru had hoped he'd be in the current situation. As a result he showed without the funds required to cover the cost of the large dessert. And that did not sit well with the demon slayer.

She continued to stare at him with her expressionless face. To most, they'd have no idea what Kiru was thinking most of the time, but she still had an array of emotions hidden underneath that mask. She looked back down at the book for a moment, moving her hand to open it up again, however that's when her actions were interrupted by one of the boy's spirits who decided to make themselves known to her. A blue ball appeared from the air and pressed itself against Mura's cheek. THis ball had eyes, and proceeded to speak to Kiru in a panicked tone. It explained that Mura was sorry for his actions, and that there had to be an alternative to the debt that he could help pay it off with. While the spirit wasn't wrong, Kiru would've preferred Mura himself had said so.

"There are ways. I can give you a deadline and you will have to meet it by then.
Or, you could assist the guild in a task to help get yourself even. There is one job in particular I was going to attend to this evening. Assistance would be fairly helpful, as it will require some skill with magic." She stated coldly, staring up at Mura and the spirit. "If not, then I will see you when the deadline comes. And you'd best hope you bring your wallet next time..."

… Okay, for some frustrating reason, he could see Sorano in her. It was like seeing a silhouette of the letter mage behind the contour of Kiru, and it only made his awareness worse. Kyuken had quickly tried to talk for him, reasonable given his silent habit, but as he held a hand over the spirit ball that was the elder samurai, he was rather impatient in hearing what she had to say now. Would she try and punish him? Given by what he just saw, he wasn’t doubting that she wouldn’t take it lightly, and why would he suffer a different treatment?

Surprisingly, she answered back to Kyuken’s earlier question with a wind of hope that reached their ears. There was a way… at the very least one way for him, because when he heard the two choices, he wasn’t hesitating in choosing the last one. Rather, it was Kyuken’s influence that highly suggested the last one to him as he could see it on the samurai ghost’s face, and… why not? Having assisted another guild sounded like a bright deed to remember. With that in mind, the tension disappeared in a flick, and with fully concentrated eyes directed at hers, he calmly replied: “I prefer compensating with my very hands. Besides, I can’t let a fellow mage down when it comes to things like this…” He suddenly took a last look at the paper that he got back at his house, then slowly folded it into a ball as he continued, “So this task of yours… I’ll happily assist you. It shouldn’t be too much for a mage to complete, let alone two.”

WC: 2227

"It's decided then." Kiru replied sharply, turning her eyes back towards the closed book and opening it. This time to a completely different page than the one she had been on previously, containing Mura's information regarding his debt to the guild. She grabbed the quill and dipped it once before scribbling away at the paper. "Meet me in the lobby at 5:47 PM. I will explain the job details on the way. Also, bring a warm coat." Kiru said bluntly as she continued to write down all the tedious details needed for this operation.

5:47 PM

Kiru opened her eyes as they scanned the room for the ghost slayer. Luckily their little conversation earlier allowed Kiru to gain some much needed information from him. For one, the length of their interaction was long enough for her slayer senses to memorize his smell, so she could easily tell where he was if he was still here. Which she was confident he would be, after all, Kiru doubted anyone would intentionally try and get out of his situation. But then again, a lot of people did anyways, without caring for what was going to happen to them when they did. Simply thinking they could vanish from site... Not on Kiru's watch. She simply didn't have the time to let them.

Kiru was even quicker at ending the little discussion by accepting what Mura and Kyuken suggested, in which she began scribing down more. He couldn’t but wonder a little about what was written down in that book, but she quickly grabbed his attention by mentioning their meeting’s time and place. On top of that, she also suggested that he brought a warm coat, which quickly let the shaman guess that wherever they were going would have a cold temperature… that sure reminded him of a certain few people…

A few minutes before the promised deadline, the ghost slayer was already walking around the lobby with Kyuken and Zirconis floating around. He was now wearing a dark-orange coat due to the little note that Kiru had given him earlier; overall, the being had him wondering for a while now. As in being, he felt that something else hid behind her… something that reminded him of both Yazuki and Hera. Maybe it was a hunch or a fluke, but he couldn’t help but look like he was in deep thought when he arrived.

WC: 2408

And finally, her partner had arrived. Few minutes early to be exact. Kiru's gaze sharpened on the spirit slayer as he approached her, although it appeared that he had yet to notice her presence. Judging by his facial expression and body posture, she couldn't help but wonder if he was lost in some sort of deep thought. Not that it mattered, Kiru just hoped he wasn't distracted easily. And like she had suggested earlier, the samurai showed with a warm coat. As for Kiru, she had already been dressed up in her winter gear. She sported a long black parka with cyan line designs on it. The same coat she had taken with her on one of her escapades in Iceberg. The memory of that adventure chilled her to the bone, but she was glad that it was over. Thankfully, the location the two wizards were headed to was a lot more tame than that dreaded ice cave Kiru had been stuck in for several days.

When he got within earshot, Kiru uncrossed her arms and stood straight up again. "Right then, you're here. Let's go." She told him abruptly before quickly turning to the door and walking out of it. A few experienced wizards knew better than to get in her way and quickly stood aside as the water slayer passed into the gloomy street as the rain continued to fall. "We're headed to a new region recently acquired by the guild. Vintermyr is its name.
I'm venturing there today to gain the trust of one of the local wildlife beasts. A legendary Mire Wolf." Kiru told him as she continued to walk forwards. "The forest is covered in snow and ice, and is prone to cold weather. And has no lack of dangerous wildlife. I hope you are capable of handling yourself." Kiru stated, already knowing Mura could probably easily hold his own, but wanted to test his own opinion on the matter. Kiru found that you could learn a lot from mages based on what they think of their own strength.

2311 Words.

The Black Rose sorceress had noticed his arrival quickly, pulling Mura out of his thoughts as she noted to be ready. It also caused a few other figures in the room to shiver a little, which he couldn’t really ignore given by the strange weight that they appeared to have on their heads. Not only that, but their auras went numb as well… perhaps this could function as a kind of warning? He didn’t know jack about Kiru, though, so it only led him to a slight displeasure.

She was already explaining the objective which she had, practically, hired his assistance for, and according to her words, they were going to a whole new region named Vintermyr. It didn’t sound Midian, so Mura assumed that it was a region in Fiore; perhaps up in the north, if he had to guess. That was because of her next words where she mentioned that a legendary Mire Wolf was the goal. She was going to gain the trust of such creature… did that make this a type of animal taming operation? Also, what in the world was a Mire Wolf? If he had to meet it later during this mission, then it wasn’t worthy of asking about, so he kept his mouth shut and followed Kiru out of the door with the heavy atmospheres getting yet even heavier.

Her next words assumed, or more like guessed, that he had the full capacity to execute today’s mission. Was she curious about his prowess? It rather made him curious about hers in return, so he replied with a joyful tone: “We’ll be fine. I bet that you’ve gone through worse than a Mire Wolf…” Yes, it did kind of aim the arrow towards her in curiosity, despite the question appealing to his own capabilities, but she would see what he was able to later…

WC: 2718

The two traversed the busy streets as many were huddled in crowds, hoping to get out of the rain as it seemingly took most of them by surprise. Kiru didn't seem bothered by it, naturally, but she was in a hurry for her own reasons. Assuming Mura kept pace with her, she took the lead, leading him down various different streets and allyways. The route she had planned would get them their in a very short amount of time, and they wouldn't be forced to travel for several days to get their either. It all relied on the guild mark that lied on Kiru's arm. With this power, she'd be able to transport herself and anyone she makes physical contact with to any of the guild's regions. Given enough time and focus anyways. That didn't seem like it would pose a problem though. The slayer couldn't help but flick an eye towards Mura as he voiced his optimistic opinion. Implying that Kiru had probably faced greater foes than a Mire wolf. That was indeed true, but it wasn't the Mire wold she needed to fight... No, this task required the wizard to defeat a much stronger opponent. "It's not the Mire Wolf we need to worry about." She said abruptly in her usual monotone voice.

Before long, the two reached a spot where Kiru liked to perform the spell. It was quiet and out of the way from the busy streets, allowing her ample room to focus. They arrived at a small alley tucked behind a large where house. She held up a hand to signal Mura to stop and then she turned to face him. "This might feel weird, hold out your hand." Without hesitation, Kiru would proceed to grab his arm and hold it, pulling him closer for a moment as she closed her eyes and whispered something too quiet to decipher. It sounded like some sort of incantation. Sure enough, the longer she spoke, a blue glow would begin to form on the ground below the two wizards. Taking no notice of it as it started to distort the gravity around them. Small pebbles of dust and rock would float upwards within the seal which could now be made out as a larger version of Black Rose's emblem. Both of the wizard's hair would also start to float upwards too... Finally Kiru's voice grew louder and she opened her eyes, they were glowing with a cyan light. "Ta oss til riket av den frosne skogen, Vintermyr!" The seal below them shone with a brilliant light... And they were gone.

Kiru would find herself in the middle of a thick blizzard, snow blocking her view all around her. She held up her arm to try and make out her surroudnings... And the first thing she noticed was Mura wasn't beside her anymore. "Not good..." She cursed herself under her breath. She still hadn't mastered that spell yet, so the location it would drop the two wizards in could be random anywhere within a mile radius! She was hoping by holding him closer to her they'd be dropped in the exact location... But apparently she was wrong. Hopefully he'd be able to find his way through the blizzard towards her. Kiru pulled up her furred hood and began trudging through the snow.

Huh… now he began wondering about what kind of opponent that he would face. The Mire Wolf sounded more like the goal or the achievement that they were trying to accomplish, but who would they have to pass in order to reach that goal? “Huh…” he let out quietly, suddenly coming to mind about their direction; they were getting further and further away from the population of this town. Where was Vintermyr located, anyway? For a second, he felt that they were going to walk all the way, and honestly, he had many other ways to transport. Then again, leave it all to the Black Rose mage who knew the exact location of this place, so he put his trust in her and didn’t ask about it.

Kyuken and Zirconis were floating above each shoulder of his as they had reached a small spot or alley behind a large building. The buzz from downtown was almost completely muted given by the distance, and a peaceful vibe enveloped him. His face moved a few centimeters back when she held up a hand to brake him, realizing that this area must’ve had a connection to their way to Vintermyr. As she told him to hold his hand out, he casually did so with the idea that it, too, had to do with their transportation. Many ideas came to mind in that instance it took Kiru to suddenly grab his entire arm, and when she quickly held him tightly, his face emitted with surprise. “U-Uh, Kiru-“ he was about to ask out in confusion, until she began murmuring something in silence. His words were cut short by the aura that manifested beneath their feet, and she kept whispering something that must’ve been a part of it all. Was this a kind of reverse summoning spell? He couldn’t be sure yet, because it had many effects on the area around them as well, causing small grains of dust to float and their hair to bristle upwards. Kyuken and Zirconis were just as wondered as Mura, and when Kiru’s words could be heard by him, it all turned into a blurred light…

Okay… he was ready for snow, but he found himself in a huge blizzard with a layer of snow that reached all the way up to his knees. “… K-Kiru?” he asked out all of a sudden, not feeling her holding him anymore. Despite the blizzard, he couldn’t see where she had went, too… did they even appear at the same place? “… Huh,” he sighed calmly, suddenly giving Kyuken and Zirconis a smile, “I… I think that we’re lost, guys.” They both looked at him with disbelieving eyes that almost drilled through the shaman’s skull.

That was when he focused his vision and noticed a few blurred dots of life near him. He could change the entire layer of snow into a more sturdy ground, but he feared that his or Kiru’s legs would be stuck whilst doing so. Therefore, he let the two ghosts that accompanied him function as large bulbs above him to shine through the blizzard and catch the attention of anyone who would be able to spot them. “T-This cold… it’s like Hana.”

WC: 3253

The cold bit into her skin, even though the water mage was fully equip with her own winter gear, this should've been enough, right? Of course not. Because Kiru was a water mage, her entire body felt frozen already. A strange side effect of her magic, she could never feel as warm as other when faced down in below zero weather. Not that she would let this stop her though. It was likely that Mura was transported here as well, and was just as equally lost as she was. Right now her priority was to find the Fairy Tail mage and then figure out where exactly in Vintermyr they were. Assuming they had been teleported to the frozen forest anyways, this blizzard wouldn't let anything be certain however. Her goal seemed clear though, and she set off to achieve it. She did, after all drag Mura into this situation, the least she could was try and get him out.

After about 10 minutes of aimless wandering, Kiru saw something that struck her interest. A tree... Or at least she thought it was. The faint sillouhete in the distance did in fact replicate that of a tree, but Kiru couldn't be sure. Not until she got closer. Using her energy reserves to tough it through the cold, the demon slayer trudged through the deep snow the best she could until finally the object came into view. Much to her relief it was in fact what she had thought it was. A tall, rather serene tree towered over her despite the unforgiving weather. That could only mean one thing for certain. This had to be Vintermyr. Or the edge of it at least. Sure enough she could see more faint shapes in the distance, and began to start there. She knew that the forest usually had very tame weather, at least compared to the blizzard she was stuck in right now. She couldn't help but wonder why it was acting up so suddenly.

After finally reaching the treeline, Kiru took a breather. Hoping to regain some lost energy she would need in order to continue to face the cold. However, that's when something struck her as odd. In the distance between the trees she saw a moving shape! Her eyes widened slightly, hoping it was Mura! Putting no thought into it, Kiru would walk towards the shape. "Mura! Over here!" She yelled. The object stopped moving for a second, before it turned in her direction. That's when she saw it. This was not Mura... It was some sort of monster! The shadow towered easily over 7 feet, with long spiked arms. It then began to run towards Kiru! Finally it came into full view and she noticed it was a creature made up of ice! Without hesitation, the beast leaped through the air towards Kiru and attempted to slam is ic epick of an arm straight through her. Her quick reaction saved her life by mere miliseconds as she quickly jumped out of the way! The result was a huge column of ice that exploded from the snow upon impact. TO think she would've ended up like that had she not reacted so soon. It was obvious now that this being was hostile, so Kiru got in her battle stance, her demon slaying aura activated. She just hoped Mura wouldn't be in as equal trouble as her...

The beast ripped its arm from the ground and turned to Kiru. Even though its face was simply a flat ice, she could tell it wasn't happy its initial attack didn't impale the girl. It slammed its hands together and charged her again. Knowing she was already at a disadvantage, Kiru needed time to think... Her water attacks would be almost useless against a being of pure ice! She wasn't skilled enough to manipulate the composition of ice just yet... This brought back shuddering memories of her time trapped in the ice caves on Icebergs... That giant ice spider did a number on her... But she wouldn't let this thing beat her. She just needed to find a way! Before she could finish her thoughts, however, the creature rushed again and attempted to strike her with both of its sharp arms. Kiru leaped upwards, narrowly avoiding the attack, and grabbed its head as she flung herself over the creature! It staggered for a moment as the girl flew through the air behind it, landing on a thick tree trunk, and pushing herself off of it for momentum! She came rushing towards the ice monster at a very fast speed, her arm enveloped in rushing, hot water! Just as the creature turned to face her, the demon slayer's fist punched it right across the head! Her hand melted through the beast's head and she ended up slamming the tree behind it, causing the trunk to crack significantly. She turned quickly, but saw the ice she had melted only reform on the creature's head... Kiru grunted with anger... But that's when an idea hit her. The sound of cracking behind her gave her that idea. It appeared that this creature could easily just reform any body parts it lost... So the only way to kill it was to destroy its entire body at once. Luckily for Kiru, she had an idea that could do just that, and it had nothing to do with her own abilities.

As predicted the beast rushed forwards again and attempted to slash her again! However, this time Kiru knew exactly what to do. She quickly stepped backwards, just out of reach of the beast. It stepped forwards and attempted to slash her again, but Kiru yet again employed the same move. She kept moving back until finally the creature was EXACTLY where she wanted it! This time Kiru was back up against the cracked tree trunk, and she leaped over the beast just as it brought it's arm downwards! As predicted, its spiked hand crashed right into the already weak tree trunk! Kiru was standing at a safe distance behind the beast now, just as the wood began to creak and groan. The creature seemed to have no idea what Kiru's plan was, as it ripped its hand from the trunk and turned to face her... This time Kiru raised a hand, and suddenly two large tendrils of water broke from the snow! They charged forwards at her command, but missed the monster... Thankfully that's not what she was aiming for. The creature, thinking it just dodged Kiru's attack, ran towards her yet again. However, Kiru's water tendrils had wrapped around the trunk of the tree behind it, and with one huge pull, the wood finally gave out! Splinters flew from its base as the tree came falling... Right on top of the beast. Snow exploded everywhere as the large tree trunk made impact of the ground! Kiru was forced to jump a considerate distance away just to avoid getting hit as well! Luckily, the trunk easily shattered the creature into a million icy pieces. Kiru landed in the snow some distance away, breathing heavily... But that's when she noticed something. The blizzard had stopped. Had this creature been its source? That's when it clicked. The monster must've been one of the spirits that stalked Vintermyr. It was a lot more hostile than what she's used too, but that would explain the weather and how it calmed when the spirit was subdued.

Sighing, Kiru wiped her brow before putting her hands on her hips and admiring the beauty of the now shimmering forest. Hopefully with the blizzard dispelled, Mura would be able to make his way around more easily as well, and maybe the sounds of her battle attracted him. However, there was still the risk of other spirits. Kiru just hoped Mura hadn't found himself in as much trouble as she had.

… Okay, he was truly lost. He could feel it now, and the blizzard wouldn’t die out any time soon. Maybe the light show that Mura was performing wasn’t nearly strong enough to catch the eyes of his Black Rose client… that caused a few thoughts to race around his head; where exactly was he? He knew that they were going to Vintermyr, but how large was this ancient place? If he was located dozens of miles away from Kiru, then how a drag the journey to find each other would be. He really hoped for the best as he tugged on his jacket, trying to cover more of his throat from the cold weather. “I can’t see..!” the samurai ghost roared in confusion, “What’s going on with this weather?!” The dragon ghost couldn’t but laugh at Kyuken’s struggles to catch up to him and Mura, in which he replied: “What, is the cold too much for you? You better hurry up, or we’ll leave you behind..!” As those words, surprisingly, caught up to the ears of the swordsman spirit, his eyes flustered in anger and pushed his spirit ball form further towards them so that he wouldn’t get lost himself. Wherever they were at the moment, they had to find Kiru, because she was the only person who knew their destination and where it was…

That was when his clothes suddenly got ripped and flung by projectiles of some sorts, alarming the shaman to unsheathe Harusame in the middle of the snow. The projectiles had cut his arms briefly as small drops of blood trickled off and landed on the white snow. “…” Now, the snow was even more of a pain, because even with the combined field of vision from Zirconis and Kyuken on top of his own, who could see through such thick snow? Whoever threw those projectiles, who felt a lot like ice-cold porcelain, were using the advantage of the blizzard to hide themselves. His patience could endure a bit more, but Mura had to expose the opponent and quickly thrusted Harusame forward as magic power erupted from his body. He quickly swung Kyuken into the blade, and as a result, a burst of energy pushed away the snowflakes that had covered the area, clearing out the weather for him to spot nothing but a tree. His eyes looked disbelieving for a second, until the very same tree suddenly turned alive and swung what appeared to be its frozen leaves towards the shaman’s position. With the cleared view, he quickly dodged the leaves and darted forward, appearing before the tree in a second. Its branches were launched at him in counterattack, but they quickly fell to the ground due to his katana.

“Are we… seriously fighting a tree?” Zirconis asked out in absolute wonder, watching Mura engage in combat with a piece of flora. After ten successful slashes with the spirit-infused katana, the tree appeared more… well, enduring than aggressive. Despite it not being a human, he could see its spirit very well and concluded that the battle was over; besides, if he began destroying vegetation here, then Kiru would most likely send him another debt. Thus, he moved further and spotted that the blizzard not only died out here, but it also appeared to be lost and reveal the forest that laid ahead. “Woah…” all three of them let out in amazement. So this was Vintermyr, most likely. He even ignored the several cuts that were apparent through his bruised and ripped jacket, which wasn’t only ignored due to the cold temperature.

He quickly made his way into the forest. Maybe Kiru had already gone in and started waiting for him, so there was no time to waste! However, running down the tundra-like hill and into the woods, his feet suddenly got caught between two small rocks, causing the shaman to lose his balance and roll down the hill, until his body floated when about to hit the ground below. “Y-Yah… t-that was unnecessary,” he complained, “And they weren’t there in the first place, were they..?” He slowly turned his face back towards the stones that had now disappeared, and it began sending odd shivers down his spine. “Uh… Mura, did someone tackle you?” the samurai ghost asked in curiosity, not having noticed the stones yet. Maybe he was losing it, already? Even that didn’t make any sense, though. However, the confusion was quickly taken care of when a huge light emitted in front of him, leaking the same kind of magic that he possessed himself. When his face turned towards it, he let out a voice of shock. A moment of silence between the two found place, before the being moved forward in a fast pace. In reaction, Mura held up a hand to send a flame towards it by using his other magic, but that backlashed heavily as the fire, instead, turned against him at that very moment…

WC: 4078

Kiru had been wandering the forest grounds for a while now. Her only concern at this moment was finding Mura. The job could wait. It was, after all, HER fault that the wizard had been stuck in this frozen forest. Only made right if Kiru could reunite the two and then finish the job. Hoping the journey home wouldn't be as chaotic as the journey here was. That's when it seemed as if Kiru's search was cut short. She would've sensed it from a mile away. Spiritual energy. Her head turned almost instantly and a look of concern masked her expression as the demon slayer stared directly into the forest. Another spirit had made its presence known, and it was obviously not meant for her. That could've only meant one other person had encountered it.

With a flash of white light, a massive wave of white water came hurling through the snow to intercept the fire being thrown back at Mura! Luckily her element trumped fire in all its forms, so even in this cold weather, Kiru was at no disadvantage. She then leaped downwards inbetween Mura and the spirit. Turning her head back to stare at him with her cold gaze. "Destroy its entire body all at once, that's how you kill it."

Pointing his palm towards the fire, his body tried to neutralize its own spell that was being redirected at him! However, in that instance when the flames were about to reach Mura’s position, a white beam extinguished it with such force that none of the blazes were alive a moment later. “K-Kiru..!” he spoke up by having watched the magic, a white flow of water alike her first presentation back at the office. At last, they reunited in the massive biome, and they could continue with their task… right after they took care of this spirit.

Yes, a spirit… and probably an elementary if he had to guess. A fire elemental, maybe? Its structure was far from pure fire, though, and he had seen a couple fire spirits before. Oh well, his magic would suffice against any type of spirit, in which Harusame was unsheathed. ‘Destroy its entire body all at once, that’s how you kill it’ was the words given to him by Kiru right after, and his feet lifted him further until he literally flew pass the white mage’s position. It was as if his entire body was blurring by the speed that Kyuken granted him as Mura felt the aura surge from his arm through the katana that he had unsheathed.

“Kyuken-Style… Stream!”

As he mentioned that, a visible gust was circulating around the spirit, causing its body to spin just as well. It happened with a slow to slightly rapid acceleration until its body blurred by the spinning, but it couldn’t fight back on its own hence it decided to call forth rocks to try and break through the sudden change in nature. However, the miniature hurricane died out quick enough to reveal Mura’s body right beneath the spirit, watching it get hit by its very own rocks!

Its entire body at once, and he had realized that more mana was needed to fulfil that objective. As it approached him once again, Mura’s left hand that wasn’t holding any weapon began glowing green, and large, almost transparent reflections from what looked like green crystals were visible around it. When it had gotten to a suitable distance, he smacked the dragon-powered fist right on its auric body with much more repulsive force than what he achieved with Kyuken’s arts. It was swooped back through the woods in shock, and its auric structure was beginning to show huge signs of complete exhaustion from Mura’s strange, spirit-weakening magic…

Just as she predicted.

Mura could hold his own without any trouble, and that would prove very useful in the task at hand. For there were bigger threats than this spirit that the two wizards would be forced to face soon, if they hoped to complete their objective. Watching him fight, Kiru got more information on the strange Fairy Tail wizard. He seemed well composed, and determined. Not to mention his magic wasn't like anything Kiru had seen before. She could've guessed those spirits floating around him earlier were simply companions, but now she wouldn't rule out the possibility of them being more than simple floating apparitions. He seemed to have special effects on this fire spirit.. Something she could only assume he used magic of similar caliber.

As his last attack hit, the spirit was thrown back into the woods, but not yet dead. However, it was severely weakened now. Ripe for the picking. With that in mind, Kiru raiased her arm and soon more white water appeared and began circling it like a spinning whirlpool. Just as the spirit was about to retaliate, she simply held her hand out, and let it do the work. A massive tendril of rushing white water extended from her arm and swirved through the air before converging on the fire spirit. Meters from impact, it split into several different streams! All of which hit the spirit at once, completely dowsing it of its flame. Soon nothing was left but a smoking pile of snow.

"All spirits aside, I think we should head north. The Cave we seek lies there."

Mura felt the need to finish it off, but he could hear it beg for a showdown with the other wizard and not him. He wondered why it wished so - maybe it was connected to what Kiru told him about the task beforehand - but it showed brighter signs when Kiru released a stream of white water towards it, hitting the spirit from many different points. Its bright fire had died out completely, and a pile of ash and snow would be left as remains.

“White water…” Mura mumbled out curiously. He had an idea about the type of magic that she utilized, given that it resembled the type of magic that Yazuki and Heero used to wield back in time, but he left it as that. Listening to her next words, a cave would be north from their location, and after a quick look at the sky, Mura suddenly began moving towards the location of the North Star. Even in shelter of a thin layer of snow that was, surprisingly, separated from the atmosphere inside this forest, the North Star was visible for him… or rather, for the direction-strong samurai ghost within him.