[Hrozun 23, 0100 A.R]
[Glacial Falls]

Current in-game time 10:12 PM

Muzui poked his head out of the blankets of snow letting a loud gasp escape as he inhaled air. Soon after he began coughing profusely as some of the snow got into his lungs, each breath he took was painful, like the air was knocked out of him.

He was lucky enough to fall on snow, breaking his fall like a cushion leaving him practically unharmed from falling a few stories down. That said, his back was aching and made it harder for him to walk normally, not only that, everywhere he looked was dark and covered in a shade. It was due to him falling into a deep pit where the already scarce light, barely illuminated anything.

But even if he couldn't see where he was, he still had a rough sense of awareness of his surroundings as he used his arms to 'feel' his way through the shadows. And as expected, everywhere he placed his hand ice was almost always present at the walls making it too slippery for him to climb.

If one was to look above their heads where the young man was standing, they would vividly see a faint light present at the gorge's opening, although it looked as if he was a few hundred meters below the earth right now.

Even if had a skill that allowed him to scale up walls, if he could not make sense of his footing he's bound to end up falling, not to mention that this entire area was a large inescapable ice pit. Out of any escape plans, Muzui prioritized finding his other team members, surely if he could survive a fall like that, there was a possibility they did too.

He refused to think otherwise and began calling out their names while keeping proximity next to the walls, walking slowly, he focused on listening to any replies going by. "Burke! Anyone! If you're alive make a noise so I can hear you!" His voice echoed through the chasm as he kept repeating the phrase, to an extent until his throat started hurting. His bottom lip was dry as can be but he had no water with him since his waterskin got lost in his fall.

But he refused to stop calling out as he had faith that his allies were alive, he kept persevering until he felt a different sensation along the wall. It wasn't as cold as ice and it felt smooth, almost like...metal. Taking out his broken blade he tapped against the surface to check, getting a response similar to that of metal clanging.

Confused and curious, the young man followed the metal surface and reach a bump on the wall, a small square slab made of whatever metal it was composed of, it jutted out of the wall like a button waiting to be pressed. At first, Muzui was hesitant in pressing the plate as it might be some sort of trap, but even if that was the case he'd still die out here in this cold temperature.

He pushed at the small square slab inlaid on the wall, and just like something out of a Tomb Raider movie, there were sounds of gears churning about as something large and heavy began to move beyond his vision. A few seconds later the contraption fell silent, making him guess whatever happened had just finished.

Then without warning a faint orange light appeared at the corner of his vision as a staircase illuminated by torches came into view. Muzui took a deep breath as he scanned the passage, eyeing the stairs with skepticism as he stood there motionless.

"This one feels a bit suspicious," he jokingly admits as he gazes into the furthest depths of the tunnel, seeing no end to it. To be honest, he was hesitant in going in as he had a bad experience going into dark long chambers back in Atherion. He chuckles to himself seeing how he couldn't stop being cautious.

While he was contemplating whether to go in or not, it didn't matter anymore as something came smashing at him, sending him flying into the snow as he maintained his body's momentum and righted himself, whilst simultaneously drawing his broken blade at his assailant. But because it was dark he couldn't make heads or tails of what it was he was fighting.

Though, he doesn't need to see his enemy be aware of where they were. He could hear the sounds of something scuttling through the shadows darting all around him. Muzui closed his eyes and allowed his other senses to find his opponent's location, with his ears he could hear the sound of snow getting trampled, and with his skin, he felt the bloodlust directed at him.

In a span of a second, he turned around, hoisted his blade like a spear, looked in the direction he predicts the enemy then threw his blade. In only a matter of moments, he heard the creature let out a shrill cry as he hit it. Everything fell silent soon after while Muzui kept his eyes shut, trying to sense the creature's presence. He could still feel the bloodlust directed at him making him wary of taking any steps.

With a growl, the silence between them was broken as Muzui heard the beast charge at him from the shadows, prompting him to run away and towards the staircase. It turned into a race to see who get to the prey first as Muzui huffed and puffed trying to reach the entrance.

The beast was dangerously close behind him and he could feel the creature's breath down his neck before he jumped forward, risking it all as he dove into the entrance. Miraculously he reached the tunnels first as whatever it was following him didn't follow him inside. Panting frantically he stood up and took one of the torches on the wall.

Whatever it was he fought, it didn't enter but he could still feel its presence at the entrance. He stood at a distance from the door where he felt safe from danger, before eyeing the darkness. He threw the torch at the entrance which illuminated the creature's heinous facade as it grinned from ear to ear with its jagged teeth and spear-like white fur.

Now, Muzui knew why it didn't pursue him further inside as he stood in fear and terror of the smiling face directed at him. It resembled a fox but its size is more than ten times that of Muzui's. His blade looked like a toothpick on the creature's evil large eyes that glowed like a mirror. It dawned on Muzui that he had been spared from death. If this creature had been serious with killing him it would've done so easily but it decided to taunt him instead.

After sharing a gaze for what felt like an eternity, the beast finally slowly backed out of view and became shrouded in darkness. The way it kept its disgustingly creepy grin and crazed gaze on Muzui let off the sense of it taunting him. Once it was finally gone was when Muzui broke from his trance and immediately broke into a sprint into the tunnel.

"Shit. Shit. What the heck was that thing?" As tired as he was, the young man felt the urge to sprint away from the entrance as fast as possible as his body screamed. The bones on his body shrieked as he pushed through his limit, accelerating to speeds almost impossible for someone as tired as him.

This island, this place. There was something very wrong with this desert of ice. What was that creature he saw? Why does something like that exist on this island? These questions came to mind as he ran the tunnel's entire length, reaching a fork in the road. That was when he came to a stop. On his last wits, Muzui thought of catching his breath as everything slowly came together for him.

The aura it gave off was not something comparable to some feral beast, no, it felt different, that thing. Whatever it was it made his entire being feel threatened just by standing in its presence which was saying something considering that Muzui has faced a wyvern capable of flattening an entire town in a single breath.

He stands up and leans against the wall, "Whatever, I don't care anymore, to hell with the money and this island!" Yelling those words he breaks into a full-on sprint into the tunnels, choosing to go with the middle path.

•∆•

The only thing Yuna could perceive was an endless pitch-black curtain, no matter what she did she couldn't see anything past the darkness. To make matters worst, Her body wouldn't budge as something heavy pressed its weight against her frame. It was as if a large anvil had been placed on her, no matter how hard she struggled she couldn't move, heck, her fingers can't even clench into a fist.

Not to mention, this heavy 'thing' on top of her felt unbelievably cold to the touch, she assumed she was buried under a pile of snow after putting two and two together. The gears inside Yuna's head started to turn as she realized her situation.

The avalanche had successfully buried her under the snow, then a thought came into mind if she was in this state, what came about the others? She had also just woken up so she was still experiencing a stupor if the others were also buried like her then that would mean they could have had also been knocked out.

Yuna was about to curse in frustration but when she opened her mouth, she had some difficulty uttering a mere squeal. A terrifying premonition came about to her, and that she was also struggling to breathe. In a panic, she gasped for air but thanks to the snow, she swallowed a handful of ice and started to gag on it.

The girl, stuck in a predicament, began struggling with everything she had. She moved her arm but it was still pinned between the snow, she tried her legs but they were also stuck. With both of her air passages blocked, she quickly lost strength at an alarming rate as quickly as she started to lose consciousness. Her eyes were threatening to close shut as she fought to stay awake, in her chest she could feel a thousand daggers stabbing through her lungs.

Since it was already too dark for her to see, she had no idea if she was still awake, seconds began to feel like an hour to her as her struggle only ended up prolonging her suffering. Amid Yuna's dire situation, her promise to Lisa came to mind out of all the things she had in her memory, by this point it seemed like she was going to break their little promise. 'What a shitty way to die.'

She pitied herself as she was about to pass out buried under some snow. In a matter of moments, her limbs, by this point, were completely numb. As the spark in Yuna's started to fade, a blinding light greeted her. Thinking that she was about to die, Yuna was confused to see a hand reaching out for her as her body was pulled out of the pile like a sack of potatoes.

Moments after seeing that hand, she was surprised to see the grey clouds above her once more. Then without warning, she shot up into a sitting position as she violently gasped for air.

A familiar voice then called out beside her as it sounded exasperated, "I...made it, haaahhhh..." There kneeling next to her was a woman with a pink horn protruding from her forehead. Rashia let out a sigh of relief as she smiled towards the sky, "I finally found you."

Wiping her face, Yuna looked at the woman with tears forming at the edge of her eyes. A sudden rush of joy and relief exploded from her body as she had been saved from her situation, by Rashia no less. She lunged at the Dragoncrown and embraced the woman tightly, "Rashia-san! Uwooohhh! I thought I was dead for good! Thank you! Thank you!"

Although she was surprised by the sudden embrace, Rashia knew how the girl felt and returned the favor by stroking her hair. "There there, it's all good now, promise," in a soothing tone, Rashia almost felt like a mother doting on her child as she patted Yuna's head. It was understandable why the girl acted as such, from being buried without any hope of getting out, from being saved just like that, it can cause people to feel a surge of indescribable emotions.

So, the two of them remained locked in an embrace for a few long minutes.

"Have you calmed down now?" Rashia asks as she gently pushed Yuna away from her to check on the girl's face. And to be honest, Yuna looked like a mess with her puffy eyes, making Rashia chuckle a little.

"I'm fine now...thanks for letting me do that, and also thanks for saving me," finally regaining her composure, Yuna spoke in a  much clearer manner as she wiped her face. "I thought I was a goner." She adds while looking back at the hole where she was stuck. "How did you manage to find me?"

Rashia shows her a toothy grin then taps on her nose, "Never underestimate a Dragoncrown's sense of smell." She replied proudly. To think Yuna was saved because of Rashia's sense of smell, life is full of surprises. Yuna couldn't help but chuckle slightly, it looks like she wasn't going to break any promises soon, making her happy.

Rashia felt relieved seeing Yuna smiling again, but her forehead would suddenly form creases as she saw the girl's injuries. Yuna had sustained a few scratches and bruises along her face and the rest of her body. Quickly she pointed these out, "How about we get you treated back at camp like the others?"

"What do you mean? Can't you see I'm fi–ow!" She winces in pain as soon as she touched one of the many bruises she had on her cheek. Rashia wasn't so convinced and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her back to camp.

Right after the avalanche had wiped almost everyone in their search party, Zhiang, who was the one to quickly react, commanded the others to search for any people who got swept by the avalanche. They had quickly erected a small temporary camp where Yuna came to quickly realize the severity of their situation.

There were a few people injured in the avalanche. Some had their arms twisted while others were still unconsciously lying on beds. It was quite a sight as some of them were Marked Ones who were unfortunate enough to get injured. Still, it was better than dying and a good thing for them was that no died yet. Yet.

Rummaging through one of their medical stashes, Rashia whisked out a bottle of red liquid and threw it at Yuna. "Drink that so you get your wounds fixed." Yuna followed as she was told and right after drinking the liquid her injuries almost instantly vanished.

However, in place of her injuries healing, she suffered from a bit of a woozy effect that the potions often had. She quickly shook it off though, then she was fine as new with still a few minor scratches.

"How do you feel now? Any better?" Rashia asks her.

Yuna turns around and checks her joints for anything that hurts, when she finds none she responds, "Feeling better now, I can just about move as I normally would." Her words brought Rashia a sense of relief as the woman sighs.

"Good," she then turns to look at Yuna as she continues to watch the girl. Feeling a bit better, Yuna started doing some shadow boxing to try and see if her body was indeed faring well, and as expected, she was fine as she could be. "Since you can already move like that, I guess I can leave you here while I go talk to Zhiang."

"You're going already?" Yuna asks while hiding the fact that she didn't want Rashia to go just yet.

"Yeah, I have to send a report that we found all the missing people, and it just so happens that you were the last one on the list." She explains.

"Ok then," not wanting to cause any more problems for Rashia, Yuna just obediently sighs and lets the Dragoncrown go. Rashia grinned at the frown Yuna was making and patted her head.

"Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." And with that, Rashia walked away leaving Yuna all by herself.

•∆•

A little while later.

"We need some potions over here!" One of the medical staff calls out while trying to save one of the patients.

"On it!" Yuna shouts as she runs towards them while carefully carrying a handful of potions. After Rashia had left an hour ago, Yuna was left with nothing to do, so she decided to help out within the camp in any way she could.

She ended up setting some tents, helped carry injured people, and also assisted with providing the people meals. It was a hectic back and forth but she helped out anyway.

"Haahh~ finally done!" 4ster, one of the mages helping out in the medical team, sighed in relief as he placed his head on the table. Since he was a mage, he used all of his mana to heal the others which ended up being a chore. "I thought it was never going to end."

"At least we managed to go through it all, nya~" 'FuriouslyFluffy' said while also doing the same as 4ster by resting their heads on the table with a pale face.

"No heads on the table, and sit properly you two, you'll never grow up with posture like that," a tall man with a big frame came in and lectured them. 'Remindmelater...' Their tank came in while holding a wooden ladle and wearing an apron whilst carrying a pot of warm soup by his side.

"Dinner time! Yes, finally!" 4ster celebrates along with 'FuriouslyFluffy' as they were given a bowl of soup.

The two instantly ravaged the food while 4ster came in and asked for seconds. The tall man smiles and gives them more while handing out food to the other staff. "Your cooking is still as good as always Remin-san," 'FuriouslyFluffy' comments as she eats her share.

"The perks of maxing out your cooking skill," 'Remindmelater...' Chuckles and fills another bowl. And as he was giving them more food, he noticed Yuna, carrying potions, and running towards the direction of the medical bay. He frowns and steps in Yuna's path, blocking her.

"Uhm, excuse me Remi-san but I need to go," she says while jogging in place.

"Why don't you take a rest and eat first?" 'Remindmelater...' Offers her a bowl as Yuna makes a complicated face.

"I can't, I need to–" as Yuna was trying to come up with a reason, the tall man, with his large hand, takes all the potions from her. The bottles looked like marbles in his palm as he gave her a bowl of soup in exchange.

"Don't push yourself too hard, I know you want to help but you should also think about yourself." He tells her. Yuna looked down at the bowl of soup and paused for a moment before walking towards a chair and sitting down to eat. 'Remindmelater...' Smiles at the girl, satisfied that he at least let her rest.

"Oh, you managed to get back, Yuna-san?" 4ster sits at the opposite side, facing Yuna as she ate. "Didn't know you were already back."

"I was busy so I couldn't talk that much." She replies.

•∆•

Somewhere in the camp, Zhiang and a group of people were discussing something while staring at a map. "You think that avalanche was just foul play?" A man among the crowd said.

"For the last time, we should just attack the enemy, it's obviously them who caused that avalanche,"  another man said.

"We don't know if it was them or it was just an accident," another member spoke out.

"Then are we just going to rule out the possibility that they're not trying to get us first?" Countered the man.

"No, what I'm saying is it's not..."

"We're facing another nation here, they don't care if they have to kill if it means salvation for their people."

"I say we rally and take the fight to them!"

"But what about the injured!? We still haven't gotten any information about the enemy or their numbers!"

"That doesn't matter now, if they get back earlier than us, then they win this race. We need to get moving and finish this silly expedition." The man then looks at Zhiang. "The Royals are expecting you to do something about this, leader. We need you to decide."

Surprisingly, instead of a normal answer, Zhiang just laughs at them. "You and your politics, you people are still greenhorns if you think that was caused by someone." As he said that, the others fell silent as they stared at Zhiang in confusion.

"What did you say!?" One of them