Keera Elodie, Caring Kokiri- 40 rupees Kameron Jihal, the Mog Who Believes in You- 40 rupees Laurel Veranius, Noble Prodigy- Ice Enchantment, +10 rupees A lone mogma stood at the base of a frost-bitten mountain, ice and wind punishing all who dared approach it. This mogma, Kameron Jihal, smiled. His bright red cape whipped around him, a bold and brazen contrast to the snowy, ice-covered wasteland, a defiance to the merciless elements that was almost surreal. Not content with only this meager display of spirit, the mole-man drew his blade and pointed it to the peak, where a frozen walkway wound its way. "Listen up!" he shouted up at it, as though the mountain itself could hear his taunts. "I'm the magnificent Kameron Jihal! You might think you're tough, and maybe you are! But I'm the one who's going to conquer you!" In truth, he had had his eye on the mountain and its gaping caverns for a long while; he'd been building his confidence for the sake of scaling such heights. He'd spent enough time underground; it was about time he took the high ground.
"I TOLD you to bring your extra coat. But do you ever listen? Don't blame me when your nose is all slimed up like a Octorok." Melda moaned as Keera wrapped her arms around her tiny body. The bitter winds easily passed through her cardigan and dress, but she wasn't -freezing-, just cold. Melda often overreacted when it came to her health or safety. "I'll be fine, Melda." Keera said, resisting the urge to let her teeth chatter. She heard her fairy's barely audible grumbling as the formidable mountain range loomed before them. The Great Tree had a habit of sending Keera out on these 'exploratory' missions: he could never know enough. She had always been inquisitive when it came to the world outside the forest, even though she adored her homeland. Apparently, it wasn't always so wintry up here. As she got closer, Keera noticed a furry figure pointing a sword at the mountain in question. She would have been perfectly happy to let this... Mogma? Be on his way, but Melda had already chimed out rather loudly. For some reason, the noise wasn't cloaked by the howling winds. "Hi there good sir, are you going inside?" She asked, fluttering her wings with some effort to remain stationary in front of the man.
Laurel sneezed. Great. As if her cold hadn't been bad enough in Castle Town, Taylor's experimental warp spell had just had to backfire and send her to the snow-capped mountains in the north. At least she'd had the foresight to expect this -because honestly, when did Taylor ever get anything right with magic- and put on her thick, furred mantle before she'd supervised his spell. "I promise I'll kill you, Taylor," she said. "Just wait until I get home. I'll kill you." Marich's absence was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, Laurel was lonely without her trusty steed by her side, but on the other hand, he would just have been a liability. Her attention was distracted from her thoughts and redirected to a point in front of her when she heard someone shouting. She went up to the owner of the voice, her arms wrapped tightly around her and gripping the mantle from the inside. "I need to know the fastest way back to Hyrule Castle Town," she said, looking down at the Mogma. "I have to murder someone."
Kameron smiled broadly at the little ball of light. It was certainly not every day he came across a new type of person. "I am, yes! This mountain here is about to meet its maker!" The second question he was asked made him lift an eyebrow. Hyrule Castle Town? "No, I'm afraid I don't know how to go there... I'm more interested in the uncharted and wild." The mogma looked at her more closely. "If you're looking for a cure for cold, though, I'd recommend fighting it with your blazing spirit!" He himself was relatively unimpeded by the frigid air, partially by way of his heavy fur pelt, and partially because of his hot blooded enthusiasm. The winds picked up, blowing more slush up at them. The mogma didn't know much of storms, but it certainly looked as though one was brewing. "I think we'd better get moving one way or another, though. Apparently the weather doesn't agree with us." With that, he started ascending the winding trail up to the opening, not to be deterred by a little snowstorm.
Keera approached warily at the same time as a Hylian woman. She couldn't help but notice that this woman was very pretty, and dressed appropriately. She'd always wondered what it would be like to be tall... "I apologise for my-" "Come on Keera, we're going in with this gentleman Mogma here." Melda said, floating back to her master. "But you didn't ask!" It was too late, however, as the furry man Melda has spoken to made off towards the temple. Keera had been instructed to explore it, and she supposed it would be better to go in with company. "I mean, would you mind if I accompanied you?" Was all she could manage before the effort to catch up to him demanded she take deeper breaths of frigid air.
Laurel suppressed an unladylike hiss. "I'll SHOW you... fiery... spirit?" Hold on, she had her rapier on her! In a fit of brilliance, she reached for the sword at her waist and clutched the hilt tightly, shutting her eyes. When she re-opened them, she saw the blade glow a bright red, pulsing softly, and she felt it radiating heat. Finally, a source of warmth in this hellhole. She didn't know why she hadn't thought to enchant her blade right away, but she did realize something. Her illness made her magic less reliable. Already, she felt her strength waning and it took her full concentration to keep the fire on the sword, as opposed to the subconscious effort it normally took. If the Mogma knew a way to a warm, sheltered place, Laurel had to take it now. "Hold on," she said. "I can't stumble down the mountain in this state and in this blizzard. I'm coming too." Figuring she could save the introductions for later, she took the child that was already following the Mogma by free hand and followed the furred thing.
"Anyone with the spirit of adventure is always welcome with me!" Kameron replied, his levity surprising in the face of the storm. Still... he could see that they were struggling through this. It was easier on him, with his fur and naturally hot blood. So as they scaled the footpath, he drew out his french horn. "Let's march, soldiers!" He belted, shortly before putting the instrument to his mouth. It was extremely cold because of the environment, but the two girls seemed like they could use the extra boost. As they fought up the mountain he played a rousing round of Din's Power, bringing much-needed strength to their weakened limbs. The climb was a bit easier under the song's effects, and Kameron managed to make it with his main complaints being his cold nose and his tired lungs. They entered the cave's mouth at the top of the mountain, and the temperature change was notable. It was still frozen over inside, but the winds no longer battered them, and it seemed the chill was not so biting here. The room was circular and light frost covered the place. The caped mogma sat down, rubbing his hands together. This might make a good place to catch their breath... "Well, friends, shall we be acquainted? I've already introduced myself to the mountain, of course, as the glorious Kameron Jihal."
Laurel was half-tempted to knock the Mogma upside the head when he started to play marching band, but after the first few bars of his song, she felt strength flowing into her legs and magic swirling around her, pushing her forward ever so slightly and supporting her weary body. She had known of what Taylor liked to call Bardic Magic- his fiancée was supposedly a master of it, but since Laurel had never had the pleasure of hearing her sing or play an instrument, this was her first encounter with the magically endowed songs. She ducked her head a little as they entered the cave, being the tallest person in this company, and noted how much warmer it was here. Still, with her cold, taking off the mantle was not a good idea. Perhaps because of the aid he had given her, Laurel momentarily forgave the Mogma's boisterous mannerisms when he asked for names. "I am Laurel," she said, "Of House Veranius. I would-" she interrupted herself and whipped her head around when she felt something. She didn't have the sixth sense to detect danger like many of her kin seemed to do, but she had a heightened sense of awareness of when and where there was magic in the air. And this place was thick with ice magic. She extended a hand, feeling a cold draft that couldn't be explained by an opening in the rock wall. Lowering her hand, she turned back to the others. "My apologies. What about you, lass?"
