Snowhead Temple [BP/Darth]

Snowhead Temple
- Judith Vilcaron, Priestess of Nayru (1/5/2 Hylian) [Darth_Slaverus] Reward: Ice, Quick Rejuvenation.
- Laurel Veranius, Enchanting Prodigy (2/5/2 Hylian) [Blonde Panther] Reward: Ice Enchantment, +10 Rupees.
Music

Despite its inhospitality towards Hylians, Snowhead was a beautiful place, covered in snow year-round. The ability to remain so cold even in the fairer seasons of spring and summer... on the peaks, it was to be expected. However, even the lower hillsides, easily accessible by horse, were permanently decorated with a glistening white coat of crystallised water, which crunched under the noble beast's slender hooves as he walked on them. And that ability was precisely the reason it was here.

Suddenly, a gust of frigid wind shot out from between two mountaincrests, crashing into the rider and almost tugging her off her steed's back. "Ack!" she cried out in surprise as she clutched the reins more tightly and made herself small. The white stallion only shook his head in frustration and walked on, as his mistress pulled her thick robe a little more closely around her.

All things well considered, putting on this thick cream robe over her normal clothes was not the most conductive thing to skilful riding that Laurel had ever done. However, it was the lesser of three evils; there was no way she was going to cross Snowhead on foot or without the mantle. The mountains, or rather the snow and ice that covered them at all times, fascinated the enchantress. She hoped to learn to bind the magic of this place to her blade, thus commanding its frigid power at will...

"But first I need to not drop off of my horse," she muttered to herself as another gust of wind, weaker this time, breezed by. She turned around, looking at her companion. Marich walked, rather than trotting or, heavens forbid, galloping, so even in the snow, the younger woman could keep up on foot. "Sister Vilcaron," she called over the howling of the wind, "Are you alright?"

To attain mastery over an element, an aspiring mage had to immerse themselves in it. The scorching heat of a desert sun, the relentless gales of a storm, the bitter cold of a blizzard... Only by exposing oneself to the full fury of an element and meditating upon its raw power could one hope to wield it in the form of magic. So it was that Judith Vilcaron found herself ascending the peaks of Snowhead, hoping to gain some measure of control over the domain of ice. It was, after all, merely a frozen variant of Nayru's holy element of water... Adding a few glacial spells to her arsenal would both honour her Goddess and allow her to better defend herself against the enemies of the Cult.

In retrospect, the young priestess decided that such musings had sounded better in her head, and that hiking up a snow-covered mountain in bare feet was not the undertaking of a paragon of Wisdom. She had endured several harsh winters on her father's farm despite her aversion to footwear, but nothing could have prepared her for the painful numbness that currently coursed through her toes. Suppressing a shiver as she took another step forward, Judith reminded herself that shutting out the cold would be the ultimate test of mind over matter, and thus a chance to prove her prowess as one of Mother Nayru's chosen. With that in mind, there was no choice but to proceed.

However, just as she began to relax, the priestess was suddenly startled by a feminine shriek nearby, ruining her confident stride. It didn't take her long to realize why her associate had cried out: The winds were picking up again. Reacting quickly, Judith threw her arm out in front of her, invoking Nayru's sacred name as she did so. In an instant, a sleek sheet of blue glass materialized in front of her, diverting the brunt of the frigid air currents away from her body, before shattering into several pristine shards which faded away even as they fell to the earth. Fortunately, the gale subsided as her magical barrier expired... Wind chill could be deadly, especially given her already-frigid state. Wiping her brow in relief, Judith glanced in the direction of her charge, the woman she had accompanied on this grueling journey, to ensure she was alright.

Laurel Veranius was an attractive Hyrulean noblewoman close to Judith's own age, a scion of one of Castle Town's more distinguished families. Like the priestess, she too wished to command the elemental might of ice, and believed that Snowhead would be the ideal region in which to acquire and cultivate such abilities. Unlike the priestess, she was considerably well-dressed for the weather, as well as mounted on a fine steed. This expedition had actually been Laurel's idea- Judith was simply seizing an opportunity. It was a relatively common practice for the Cult of Nayru to aid those who sought to learn magic. And while she had ulterior motives for travelling with Laurel, Judith was no less eager to help a fellow mage. Even if she couldn't learn anything on these peaks herself, she could rest easy knowing that she had supported the promising young sorceress in her own endeavour.

"I-I am f-fine, milady. As long as we k-keep m-moving, I'll be alright." Judith replied to Laurel's concerned inquiry. For her part, the noblewoman seemed no worse for wear, in spite of her outburst. Gesturing to their destination, higher on the mountain, Judith gave Laurel a cheery smile, her teeth chattering as she tried to put on a brave face. "Y-You said you w-wanted to imbue your blade with the p-power of ice, correct? The art of enchantment is a n-noble one, indeed. If this c-cold is any indication, I'm sure you'll succeed. Then again, you could p-probably leave your sword on this mountain for a night, and you'd have a blade of ice anyhow, n-no magic n-needed!"

Laurel chuckled. She'd been accused of not having a sense of humour in the past, and while it was true she was seriously inclined, she could see the sense in keeping their spirits up. "Well, yes," she said. "However, I use the same blade for all my enchantments, and to travel up this mountain every time I require Ice would be... most discouraging. Right, Marich?" She patted the stallion on the neck, prompting a snort and a headshake from him. "The temple should be around here somewhere," she then said, turning around in her saddle so she could rummage through her saddlebag and pull out a map. It had been marked with a bright red X where their destination was supposed to be. "The map says it's not on the peaks, and my source says it's easily reachable by horse."

Truth be told, she had started to question the wisdom in bringing Marich. There was no grass for him to pass the time with while she and the priestess mucked around in the temple, and with the terrain here the way it was, she could only hope that he could keep his cool and that nothing would happen to spook him into breaking a leg. "Once we find the temple, we should also find a sheltered place to leave him. I fear he'll be a liability inside."

It took another ten minutes, but finally, they found a cave that looked like the sketch she had brought and pinned to the map. "This should be the entrance," Laurel said as she dismounted. She was in luck- above the entrance, a good portion of rock jutted out, creating a natural awning. She removed the reins from Marich's bridle and stored them in the saddlebag so he couldn't trip over them later, but elected to keep her gloves on- Snowhead Temple was supposedly as cold as the mountain itself. "I think leaving him here is our best bet," she said, adjusting her mantle so it covered her better. "We'll just have to go in, extract the magic we came for, and get back out as soon as we can. I never thought a person could be desperate for a fireplace, a fuzzy rug, and a large cup of hot cocoa."

A trail of wispy air escaped Judith's mouth as she giggled at Laurel's witty retort, her breath clearly visible in the cold. Many people automatically assumed that all priestesses were dour and humourless by nature; it was nice to dispel that misconception every once in a while by engaging in a little bit of playful repartee. Plus, it was a welcome distraction from feeling like a walking popsicle as they trudged through the snow.

As enjoyable as the banter was, however, Judith was nonetheless grateful when the pair finally stumbled upon the entrance to the fabled Snowhead Temple. She was far from being a budding comedian... she doubted she would have been able to keep morale high for much longer. Following Laurel's lead, she ducked underneath the awning and proceeded to hug the cavern wall, resting her soles on the thinnest concentration of snow she could find without actually venturing into the cave proper.

"I-I think that w-would be wise," Judith replied to the noblewoman, nodding. "D-Don't forget the b-blankets wh-wh-when we get back, e-either!" Forcing her teeth to remain still through a supreme effort of will, Judith gave Laurel another grin. The very idea of a crackling hearth and a warm beverage lifted her spirits, and she hoped that the would-be enchantress would invite her over once they completed their task. For now, though, they had business to attend to. As disconcerting as the tales of the temple's temperature were, at least they were certain to be safe from the howling wind once they were inside... right?

Laurel was first to step into the cave, drawing her mantle more closely around her and rubbing her hands together. Despite the gloves she wore, her fingers were numb with the cold, and she needed to feel them before she could draw her sword and enchant it with fire to create warmth. To kill time, she walked slowly and looked around at the walls, ceiling, and floor. They were basically as she had expected- light grey rock, covered in frostbite. The floor glittered, specks of silver mixed in with the rock. On the ceiling, the ice formed by the sheer cold in the cave formed large, clear stalactites.

After a little bit of walking, they came to a small, circular chamber; its floor lined with icy stalagmites, and the walls with torches of Blue Fire. "SMall wonder it's so cold in here," Laurel said, finally feeling comfortable enough to remove one of her gloves. She drew her sword with her now bare right hand, wincing as she touched the cold metal, and shut her eyes in concentration. Quickly, the metal hilt grew comfortably warm, and Laurel forced that warmth further into the blade. The silver blade assumed a red glow, radiating heat, and Laurel opened her eyes, satisfied with the fire enchantment. "I can keep this up for a while," she said, "but not forever. Do you sense anything that could lead me to Ice Magic, Sister?"

Lowering her hood as she tailed Laurel into the chamber, Judith reached over to undo the blue ribbon she'd used to tie up her hair, stuffing it into one of her pouches as she finished. She'd needed the hood outside to keep the falling snow out of her eyes, which in turn had required her to style her hair into a ponytail in order to fit it snugly within her robe's collar. But now that they were within the temple, she was free to let her green tresses spill over her shoulders and down her back. It wasn't much, but they'd at least provide an additional layer of insulation, albeit a minor one. The fabric of her hood was too thin to effectively keep out the merciless chill. As she stopped to finally appraise their surroundings, her companion spoke up, inquiring about the presence of any residual magic.

"At the risk of stating the obvious..." Judith responded after a moment of contemplation, gesturing toward the torches on the wall, "Those Blue Flames might be the key you seek. As I'm sure you're aware, they are not natural in origin, radiating cold rather than heat. For these torches to be lit... Either someone tends to this shrine, or powerful magic is afoot. Perhaps if you were to thrust your blade into one of them... Since you've already imbued it with fire, the two spells could react with one another and create an ice enchantment."

Sniffling, she folded her arms around her chest, not out of anger or frustration (except with the cold) but out of pure reflex, and looked at Laurel. "I-If nothing else, though, we should snuff out these Blue Flames afterward, and replace them with the more traditional variety. We could take a couple of torches with us, too. Light and warmth might well be a rare commodity in here. I'm sure whoever set them won't mind... We can always return and relight them when we leave."

Laurel looked at the Blue Fire on the torches and considered Judith's idea. "While on the whole, the idea is sound..." she muttered, walking up to a torch, "I'm not so sure about it. It seems too circumstantial to establish, and that's not how the literature describes Enchantments..." She had read up on her chosen magic carefully, or as Taylor had put it, 'raided father's library like a hurricane for the books containing even the tiniest bit of information on Enchantment spells.' While only master of one element, she considered herself an expert on Enchantments themselves- in theory, at least. An enchantment required nothing but a link between the caster and the element, a catalyst, and concentration. "Additionally, Blue Fire is a hybrid relying on the essence of fire, but the temperatures of ice. It's worth a try, but not stable or reliable enough for consistent use, which is my goal"

Still, she reached for one of the torches with her free hand. "However, I agree that we should bring a torch each with us. Fire is fire, whether hot or cold, and it may help hold off any creatures that make their home here." She'd heard horror stories. Stories of wolves the size of a calf, of animated chunks of ice... "Sentient, mammalian creatures, anyway." She handed the first torch to Judith and took a second one, looking at it. "Snuffing it out may prove a bit harder than it seems... We don't have any water to throw on it, and even if we did, that may not work... Give me a moment." She put the torch on the ground, figuring there was nothing here to catch fire anyway, and reached for her cloak. If she was fast... She removed the cloak and quickly, tightly put it over the Blue Fire. As she had expected, the fire died out almost immediately, and when she drew the fabric back, there was little more than a wet spot on it. "I love magical phenomena."

Putting the cloak back on, she touched her rapier to the torch and forced the fire to quickly flow towards the tip and into the torch. Once more, she was proven right, as the torch caught a natural, red fire. She turned to the priestess. "Would it be wise to carry both hot and cold fire with us?" she asked, "Or should I do yours as well?"

An expert on enchantments Laurel may have been, yet Judith couldn't help but feel that the noblewoman was over-thinking the matter. Magic was an intellectual discipline, yes, but one that continually defied logic. That was precisely what made it magic! No breakthroughs were made without field-testing, and even a failed experiment could yield valuable knowledge. Still, she supposed researching and committing a new spell to memory was ultimately a very personal experience that varied from caster to caster; it was difficult to pin down a method that worked equally well for everyone.

As Laurel took one of the torches and converted it into a proper source of heat, Judith likewise grabbed a torch from the wall. The enchantress asked if there might be some value in bringing an unmodified torch with them, but Judith shook her head vehemently.

"If there are any beasts within the temple, they are likely inured to the cold. I doubt Blue Fire would ward them off. No, I think that regular fire will be our salvation in this place. Give me a moment." She answered, pulling out her canteen and dumping its contents upon her torch to extinguish it. Laurel had been just a bit hasty in assuming that they were devoid of any liquid whatsoever, as Judith always carried a container filled with holy water on her person, in case she needed to perform a ritual prayer to Nayru. In a pinch, the blessed water could be relied upon for its mundane utility in situations like this. Replacing it would be no issue- if the icicles on the ceiling were any indicator, there was no shortage of frozen water they could melt.

With that accomplished, Judith held out her smoldering torch to Laurel, waiting for her to reignite it with her flaming blade.

Laurel re-enchanted her sword, waiting a few seconds until it was at its full heat, and then pressed it against Judith's torch to relight it. The fire left the sword immediately after that, as it was wont to do. She couldn't seem to keep the enchantment for longer than one use, as it were. She shook her head, deciding to rest for a bit before enchanting the blade again. Instead she sheathed it, putting her gloves back on, and lifted her torch above her head as she slowly turned around for a few seconds. "There doesn't seem to be any way to go here," she muttered to herself, walking towards the only part of the wall that was not fenced off by stalagmites.

It was marked with a peculiar image; a black-and-white representation of what she assumed to be a goat's head. However, it was too elongated to be fully goat-like. Laurel spent a few seconds looking at it, until a shiver went down her spine. Something about that image was very unsettling. As if it could pop out of the wall and bite her any given moment. As though to assure herself that that wouldn't happen, Laurel reached out with a shaky hand and touched her gloved fingers to the image. She immediately pulled them back as something akin to an electric shock went through them, and the image lit up faintly. Soon, it vanished, and a great quake shook the chamber they were in.

Laurel was certain she heard roaring, she sensed powerful magic coming to life, and when the quake finally died down, she saw that behind the stalagmites on the other side of the chamber, a portion of the wall had fallen away, revealing a passage and a chamber beyond. Surprised and admittedly a little frightened, she clutched the wood of the torch against her with two hands. "...did you hear that?" she asked Judith, "What was that?"

Scratching her chin as she plodded over to where Laurel was standing, Judith leaned forward to inspect the odd symbol on the wall. It vaguely resembled a goat, though not one of any breed she was familiar with. From what she knew of archaeology, animal imagery was common to many older religions, and such depictions tended to be highly embellished, to make them seem divine in origin. Snowhead Temple must have been a place of worship, given the name... Was that what this was, then? Some archaic take on the Golden Goddesses? Or, more likely, a primitive local faith long since swallowed up by the annals of history? It was an intriguing mystery, one she wouldn't mind solving while she was here.

As her companion brushed her hand against the image, however, the earth beneath them began to heave and shake, violently enough that Judith had to fight to steady herself. An earsplitting shout echoed throughout the room, as if they had awakened some vengeful deity, and Judith barely dodged a falling stalactite that had been jarred loose by the tremor. Was the entire temple about to collapse?! She knew that old structures could be delicate, but surely Laurel's touch hadn't caused the very mountain to come crashing down upon them! Fortunately, Judith's fears were promptly allayed as the shaking abruptly died down, though not before a section of the wall opposite the priestess had crumbled to dust.

A secret passage? Gripping her staff tightly, Judith tilted it toward the new opening, fully expecting some foul foe to burst forth. When nothing further happened, she let out a sigh and looked at Laurel, her heart still pounding.

"I... I don't know. The churnings of ancient mechanisms can be quite loud, but... That sounded like... something alive..." A dizzying magical aura assailed Judith's senses, far stronger than the mere cantrip that had lit the torches in the chamber. What manner of being could be housed within this hidden shrine, to be able to unleash that kind of destruction from a distance? "I feel a very strong presence. Something is waiting for us, deeper inside..."

Dropping to her knees, Judith closed her eyes and entreated her Goddess for protection, though she did not relinquish her hold on either her torch or her staff. "Nayru... My Goddess and Holiest of Mothers, I beseech thee: Shield Thy faithful servants from the machinations of evil..."

Laurel respectfully kept her distance and her mouth shut as Judith appealed to the Goddess of Wisdom, but as soon as the priestess stood up, she walked over to the portion of the wall that had fallen away and smashed her torch into the stalagmites blocking their way. With her rapier, she would never have been able to exert enough force to break the ice, but the torch smashed through them with relative ease, breaking them off at a height they could easily step over. Lifting her skirt a bit so it wouldn't get stuck, Laurel then walked into the newly opened passage, stopping momentarily to shine the torch over the walls and confirm that they weren't in such a state of decay that they would collapse a second time, this time on the mages' heads.

"It seems safe," she said to Judith. "Sister, I must ask: how confident are you in your offensive magic?" The roar had painfully reminded Laurel of a fatal flaw in her expedition; they had no frontline fighters. She had not bothered to hire a bodyguard, and Judith seemed even less capable of fighting a monster head-on than Laurel herself was. "If needed, I can fence, but my rapier isn't the most devastating weapon in the world and I'm slow to dodge, so I would feel much more comfortable if I knew you could support me from behind."

As they talked, they reached the end of the passage, where Laurel gestured towards Judith that she had to stop. She, herself, slowed down to a snail's pace, slowly stepping out of the passage. It seemed there were no enormous monsters here, so she gestured towards the priestess once more, this time signifying that she could come out because it was safe. The chamber was impressive- it was enormous, likely octogonal in shape, and the center was entirely dominated by a large circular pillar that reached all the way up to the ceiling. In front of them, the floor stopped and Laurel inched towards the edge, looking down.

"I estimate there is one floor below us," she then said, casting her gaze upwards, "And some two above us. Sister, help me look for a way around this pillar. I have a feeling we'll find what I'm looking for if we go deeper into the temple." With that, she turned around, her skirt and mantle bellowing behind her as she put one hand against the wall and started to walk along the perimeter.

"Not very," Judith admitted as she finished her prayer and moved to walk alongside her companion. "I can defend myself, but my repertoire of spells is better suited to healing. If I could gain power over the ice here, it would be a different matter, but until then... We should be careful." Would that be enough to convince the noblewoman to call off the whole affair, she wondered? It would be a sensible reaction. Neither woman was a skilled combatant, both having expected a relatively peaceful trek up the mountain. Returning with reinforcements at a later date would be the wisest course of action. Still, Judith secretly hoped that they would continue their exploration of the ruins. The last thing she wanted was to go back outside already, knowing that she would be greeted with the freezing winds and the dismal knowledge that her journey had been for naught.

Fortunately, Laurel was not one to be deterred by danger, deciding to soldier on despite the unearthly noises. The priestess tagged along beside her, dutifully watching for any entity that might be construed as a foe, until the pair emerged onto a circular scaffold surrounding a massive stone pillar. As the enchantress stepped forward to ascertain their exact level of elevation, Judith spent a few seconds admiring the chamber's centerpiece, gaping in awe at this marvel of age-old architecture, though she avoided drawing too close to the precipice before her. The ice-slicked ground beneath her feet was slippery, and even without Laurel's clarification, it didn't take a genius to surmise that a fall in this place would probably be fatal.

When Laurel began to navigate the room, however, Judith was quick to raise a hand to stop her.

"M-Milady, wait. M-Maybe I should take the lead. A priestess' life is one of sacrifice, and you are of noble birth. If something happened to you, I could not look the Archcanoness in the eye." Even if Laurel was choosing to push on of her own volition, Judith was determined to take responsibility for her charge. What if, by not protesting the decision to stay, she had dragged the woman into a nest of vipers? Better to put herself at risk than let an innocent life come to harm. Such was the creed of the Cult of Nayru.

Laurel stopped when Judith called her out, looking over her shoulder at the priestess. Of course, what Judith said made sense. And any other noble -or at least many other nobles- would have taken her offer. However, Laurel raised an eyebrow before settling into a more neutral, if stubborn, expression. "Yes, Sister Vilcaron," she said, her voice as stern as her face. "I am of noble birth; as such, no one can tell me what to do but those of higher birth than I. I'll be fine, honest." She crossed her arms and turned to face her front again. "I'm in boots, not on heels. I won't slip easily."

She continued on her way, opting not to walk on the extremely narrow edge that wrapped around the wall. She was stubborn, not stupid. Instead, she waved the torch in front of her again. Nothing melted. Huh. Then why did she feel so cold all of a sudden? She spun to look at what was behind her. "Do you see anything- Eek!" She took a step back when she recognised a clump of ice, statuesque and reaching about to her shoulders, in front of her. When had that thing slid up towards her?! The Freezzard inhaled, preparing to spew ice at her, and Laurel backed away further in hopes of getting out of its range.

Her foot slipped over the edge. It happened too suddenly, too unexpectedly, and she couldn't retake her balance before it was too late. Laurel had spoken too soon, and this slip sent her careening over the edge to the floor below. She fell for a few seconds, letting go of her torch as she held out both hands to catch her fall, before she hit the ground with a dull 'thud.'

... That was the first time she'd heard of aristocratic arrogance being used as a justification for putting oneself in harm's way. Frowning slightly, Judith hurried to keep up with the noblewoman. She supposed she could understand the desire for glory, even if she did not personally share it, but... There were no accolades to be won here. Was it simple pride that drove Laurel onward? It certainly couldn't have been confidence in her abilities, given the doubt she had expressed mere moments ago. Whatever it was, she hoped the woman's rash attitude wouldn't get her killed.

Unfortunately, Laurel got her comeuppance for her rudeness far sooner than the priestess would have liked. An animated cluster of ice, previously hiding in plain sight, suddenly sprang up and interposed itself between the two women. Startled by this unforeseen adversary, the enchantress tried to distance herself from the strange monster, but in her panic she lost her equilibrium and fell off the platform. Judith would gladly have dived toward the unguarded ledge in an attempt to grab Laurel's hand, yet the sentient ice in front of her blocked her path and prevented her from doing so, leaving her to watch in despair as her companion plummeted below. With her worst fears realized and all other options exhausted, Judith charged her frigid foe. She would ensure that the Freezard's ill-conceived ambush was repaid in full.

Judith had never enjoyed building snowmen. The second-rate clothing she had worn as a child had been quite poor at warding off the cold, thereby fostering a lasting disdain for the very concept of playing in the snow. And as far as she was concerned, men of ice didn't rank much higher than men of snow in her books. Thus, it was with great enthusiasm that the clergywoman launched her attack. Concentrated as it was on directing its glacial breath toward the spot where Laurel had been standing, the Freezard failed to notice Judith rapidly coming up behind him until it was too late. Pressing her staff right up against its frosty bulk, the priestess fired a point-blank arcane bolt into the foul creature, causing its "head" to explode into a puff of vapour. For good measure, she thrust her still-burning torch into the remainder of its icy mass, melting it in short order.

Amazed that she hadn't fallen flat on her face while storming toward the Freezard, Judith carefully tottered toward the edge of the scaffold, expecting to be greeted by the sight of Laurel's half-frozen corpse. Instead, to her complete astonishment, the young patrician was very much alive.

"Oh, thank Nayru! Lady Veranius! Can you hear me?! Hold tight! I'll... I'll try to find a way down!"

"Uuuuuh..." Laurel groaned as she pushed herself up. Miraculously, she hadn't died from her fall from the floor above, a thick pack of snow breaking her fall. As she stood up and looked around, however, she realised that her torch had been extinguished. She clucked her tongue as she picked up the sturdy wooden bludgeon and drew her rapier to relight it. Just as she removed the weapon from its sheath, she heard Judith calling from above, and looked up to locate the exact source of her voice. "I can hear you just fine," she called, "I landed well. Just be careful! There's bound to be more slippery patches in this place, and I can't guarantee there will be something to catch your fall every time."

She did hear something crawling around behind her, but she ignored it in favour of focusing on her enchantment. "There's a tunnel to the west," she called, "See if you can go west too, and we'll meet up then-- Nayru's mercy not again!" She had been knocked forward by a large, heavy snowball hitting her in the back of the head, and turned around for the second time in a minute. This time, her assaulter was a fair distance away from her, and shaped like a living mound of snow with large, yellow eyes and prehensile arms. It was gathering a second load of snow, raising it up, leaning back, and hurling it at Laurel again.

Laurel was faster. She finished the Fire Enchantment on her rapier, but spent the rest of her attention conjuring up a Magic Bolt at the tip and transferring the fire from the weapon to the magical projectile. Immediately, the ball of electricity changed into a fireball, and when she swung her weapon down, the ball was sent flying towards the living mound of snow. As they connected, the unnatural being stopped moving, melting into the normal snow. Laurel looked at it for a second more to be absolutely certain, then resuming. "Er. Yes. As I said, take west from here and see if you can find a stairwell or so. It's an old temple, meaning everything should be connected to each other somehow. I'll do the same."

Splitting up with so many beasts of ice lurking in seemingly every nook and cranny sounded like utter foolishness, but Judith knew that they had no other choice. She wasn't about to abandon Laurel to her fate, and the noblewoman's theory made sense besides. For the room's central pillar to have been built in such a fashion, the temple complex must have had a route that provided access to the basin below. If she could find it, she could rendezvous with Laurel in no time.

"O-Okay! May Nayru be with-" Judith's answering shout was cut short by a bloodcurdling howl, originating from directly behind the priestess. All colour drained from the cleric's face as she slowly rotated her head to the left, using her peripheral vision to see what new horror lay in store for her.

She was greeted by the sight of a snow-white Wolfos, slavering in anticipation of an easy meal. Unbeknownst to her, the wily predator had silently stalked the duo for some time, hoping to isolate one of the women from the other. And now that its wish had been granted, it was not about to let its prize go. Fighting the surge of panic that threatened to engulf her, Judith searched for any avenue of escape, her eyes darting to and fro. She found nothing of the sort, for the Wolfos had cornered her against the ledge. A hardened warrior might have let out a loud curse at this predicament, but even in the direst of straits Judith felt strangely compelled to be ladylike, so she settled for taking a deep gulp. If she didn't do something fast, she would be a tasty morsel for the local fauna!

Reacting with a lightning-quick speed made possible by fright-spawned adrenaline, Judith whirled around and swiped at the Wolfos with her torch. Wolves were afraid of fire, weren't they? Perhaps she could fend it off long enough to line up a shot with her staff...

Unfortunately, her opponent proved to be a rather fearless specimen. Undeterred by the glowing flames of Judith's torch, the Wolfos emitted a guttural growl and pounced. The priestess instinctively backpedaled and was immediately assailed by a sense of weightlessness.

"Aaaaaah!"

In retrospect, blundering off the edge of a cliff was not a shining moment in Judith's career, but it beat being pinned and mauled to death by a Wolfos' claws. She felt her stomach lurch as she rapidly descended, before neatly slamming into the very same snowbank that had been Laurel's saving grace.

Her life was yet her own, but as her head was still swimming from the impact, Judith did not get up right away.

Not only did Judith come down after Laurel, so did the canine that had pushed her over the edge. The White Wolfos landed a lot more gracefully, its incredible agility combining with the thick pack of snow to make the leap from above near-effortless. And Laurel had no magic to defend herself with- her Magic Bolt was on cooldown. The best she could do was enchant her rapier with fire again and hope that the combination of fire and magic would intimidate it.

However, as she enchanted the blade and ran to put herself between Judith and the beast, she came to the same conclusion the priestess had; this Wolfos was quite unintimidated by fire. It growled and leaped, trying to pounce on Laurel. However, Laurel took a step forwards, throwing off the trajectory the monster had calculated, and landed the hilt of her sword in its stomach. The impact sent the wolf reeling, but also seemed to make it angry. At least it was focused on Laurel now, though, so she could distance herself from Judith's form and dodge more efficiently.

When next the beast lunged, however, its paws caught in Laurel's mantle, dragging them both to the ground. For a precarious few seconds, noble and Wolfos struggled to get free of the cloth, but the beast was faster and lashed out with a paw. It was bigger and heavier than those of the lapdogs Laurel's peers had, and the nails were a good deal bigger and sharper. She turned her face away just in time, but the beast clawed at her collarbone and drew blood. Laurel's scream of pain seemed to startled it and it jolted back, at which point Laurel realised her Magic Bolt was back at her disposal. Jabbing at the White Wolfos, she forced it to take a step back and then quickly launched the ball of electricity at it.

That did the trick- The Wolfos turned around, running into the hallway to the west Laurel had pointed out before, and left the two women in silence. Laurel winced, touching her free hand to her wound, and walked over to Judith. "Sister, are you unharmed?"

Stirring as she came to, Judith rubbed a hand against her face, trying to make sense of what had transpired. She was cold, deathly cold, and not just because she was barefoot. Was she in the grip of the Grim Creeper, the boogeyman said to be responsible for ferrying souls into the afterlife? She would have expected the transition from life to death to be instantaneous. Surely it would be much warmer in Mother Nayru's embrace... Addled by the shock of her fall, Judith continued to contemplate the ethereal until she was reminded of her continued existence by her aching body and a dull throbbing in her skull.

Pain. That meant she was not dead.

"Uhhhhhhn... Am I alive?" Judith murmured, rolling out of the pile of accumulated snow and forcing herself to her feet, whereupon she beheld Laurel standing beside her with concern etched on her face. Yes, she remembered now... They had both been driven over that accursed cliff. The priestess was about to inquire as to the state of the noblewoman's health when she noticed the blood oozing from underneath Laurel's fingers. Shaking herself off, Judith immediately reached out to her companion, her altruism overriding her momentary disorientation.

"L-Lady Veranius! You are injured. H-Hold still and keep pressure on that wound... I should be able to treat it with my magic!" Fishing her staff out of the snow, Judith wasted no time in reciting the incantation of her newest spell, causing a shimmering blue sphere to form around the two women. Her chanting complete, Judith sheathed the wooden implement and whipped out the canteen she'd used earlier. Unfortunately, she had neglected to bring her Bottomless Bottle on this expedition for fear of losing it in the mountains, but the abundance of frozen water among their current surroundings made it a moot point. Cupping her hand, the priestess poured some of its contents into her palm, blessing the liquid with the healing energies of Nayru. She then offered the enchanted water to Laurel, her hand outstretched.

"Here, drink this. It will make us both feel better."

"If you can ask that question, I think it's a safe bet that you are," Laurel said, smiling, as she realised that she was the one worse for the wear. Chances were that Judith would feel the consequences of her impact with the floor for a little while longer, but at least the Wolfos hadn't gotten her like it had gotten Laurel. Speaking of, the wound was really starting to hurt and she was starting to wonder if she had to worry about infections. Fortunately, Judith snapped out of her stupor when she realised Laurel was bleeding, and started to make preparations to help her.

Laurel looked at the blue sphere that the priestess had conjured up. This was new. She wondered what it was for- it was certainly not healing her wound, or even washing the blood off her hand. When Judith drew her attention, telling her to drink the water she was offered, she realised it was only the first component of the spell the priestess had wanted to cast. Taking the cold water and drinking it, she immediately felt a warm sensation around her collarbone as the flesh started to knit itself back together. After a few seconds, Laurel took another look at it, wiping away the remaining blood so she could get a better look. "Good as new," she said, satisfied. "Although if things like that continue to happen, Mother is going to kill me when I get home..." Lady Veranius had never truly approved of Laurel's expeditions to dangerous places, even if it helped her daughter further her mastery of magic.

"I'm afraid I've never dabbled in the arts of healing," she said, her curiosity now piqued. "Enchanting is proving quite more time-consuming than I had anticipated when I first took it up. What was that sphere around us?"

Judith exhaled contentedly as the effects of the Rejuvenation spell washed over her, causing her bruises to fade and slightly allaying the fierce chill that assailed her flesh. While she would likely still be nursing a fever when she got home, she reckoned the warmth of her restorative magic would at least stave off frostbite. Her spirits were further buoyed when Laurel affirmed that her laceration had mended; the first field test of Circle had been a success. As if on cue, her companion inquired as to the nature of the sphere that had enveloped them.

"Oh, that? That is my latest spell. Basically, the benefits of any healing or protective spell cast within the sphere are transferred to everyone inside it, not just the intended recipient. In this case, I was able to kill- or rather heal- two birds with one stone by treating both our wounds." Judith explained, with no small amount of pride. Aiding oneself by visiting good upon others was a concept inherent to Nayru's faith, and she was glad that she had managed to design a magical combination that exhibited this fundamental principle.

Putting away her canteen, the priestess strode past Laurel and stared at the passage ahead, her face darkening.

"However, it will be some time before I can call on the Goddess to sanctify my water again. Nayru's gifts are not to be squandered lightly. We cannot afford to sustain any serious injuries at this juncture." She shivered at the thought of encountering another ravenous Wolfos deeper in the shrine. "There is no guarantee that we will go unaccosted. Caution will carry the day, I feel." Returning to the pile of snow, Judith retrieved her now-extinguished torch and held it out to Laurel.

"What do you think, milady? How should we proceed?"