Shadow of the Abyss

Upon the dawn that broke beneath the rising sun, bathing the Great Plateaus with aimless rays, Banishing the darkness to where it would rise once more, as Shadow Cats, Manticores, and Dire Wolves scurried back through the forest to rest.

In the distance, several Plesiosaurus, beasts tall as a mountain, peeped their heads from out of the lake surface, striking down on a herd of aurochs, tearing and crushing bones, as they were pulled into the lake.

Upon a snow-colored mountain blanket with veins of glaciers intertwining up and down into bridges up the arduously tall mountain countless miles away, Altair sat with a woman on his lap, staring at the sunrise in awe.

They had nearly forgotten how majestic the rising of the sun was as they sat together, cycling their mana. Enjoying the billowing icy winds against the flesh. It felt like they were seeing the rising sun for the first time.

"This is stupid!" Laros shouted, trembling. "Why the bloody hell are we up here!" He demanded, clenching his teeth, too afraid to light a fire lest he risked a bullet in between the eyes.

"And just like that, the mood is ruined," Ren said incredulously. " Must you be so loud?" She sighed. "It's too early for this."

"Why is it so loud?" Nia mewled from in between Talia and Aurora, sandwiched between their breasts. She peeped, her eyes opened, and yawned. "What time is it?"

" a little after five," Altair answered, enjoying Ren's warmth.

Laros had half a mind to push him off the edge as he watched. "Why the blinding cold." He asked again.

"Because it's better than the heat," Ren said, ending her cycling of mana, and wiggled her way out of her Prince's embrace reluctantly.

"That's it?"

"Yup"

Altair looked up, feeling a fleck of snow melting across his face, and was reminded of his father, of his snow-white hair.

He touched his own, still black as obsidian. 'I'm not a Snow.' he thought and rose to his feet, feeling the chill for the first time.

"Check your equipment." He ordered, unwilling to give Laros any more of his time. Speaking to him was no different than sharing words with an ass. In the end, they both speak of shit.

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Nia sighed, feeling her warmth vanish, and yawned, praying for a flagon of wine to help warm her icy bones. She began checking her equipment before standing back up.

"I'm good."

"Same," Talia and Aurora said.

"Me… too," Olivia said lightly, but Altair could hear the heartbreak in her voice, having spent the night in the arms of Laros. She was shaking.

'I wonder how long she'll last?' The Prince wondered, unsure if he should intercede. On one hand, it felt wrong. On the other, he didn't care. Olivia was a nobody to him. A sack of meat that could walk and talk. What did it matter if she could feel or think?

"Olivia, are you well?" Altair probed, conflicted.

"She's fine," Laros said with a thin smile.

"I wasn't asking you."

"I'm fine." Olivia finally said, her voice quiet and sad. Her eyes seemed dead like she was on her last leg. It was especially so when she felt Laros's fingers crawl across her shoulders. And the memories came like a wave of endless screams. She shook.

"See!" Laros snarled. "Mind your own business."

"Laros, this is my team. And I've noticed one of my teammates ashen as if wethered by a fever. So I'll not ask again for you to keep your mouth shut." He replied in a calm, somber tone. "Come here, Olivia."

For a second, Olivia didn't seem to understand, but her legs pushed forward nonetheless until she was before the Prince, her head bowed, and her eyes dull. Altair placed a palm on her head and frowned.

"She's with fever," he said calmly.

"Poor thing." Talia sang, taking her into her arms. "Did you cycle your mana last night? You know mountain tops are filled with Yin. It is like poison to us if absorbed." she said, glancing at the black-red fingertips where frost had invaded. "Look at this. We'll have to cut them off if we can't receive aid in time."

Altair took by the hand and traced his thumb over her withered fingers and activated the Hands of Nirvana to help regenerate her dead cells and nerve endings. For a second, as golden light swallowed her palm, Olivia didn't respond, but as time passed, a soft flush traced her cheeks as she looked up into Altair's distant eyes.

And for a moment, a swelter of tears came as she felt something so warm in the barren wasteland of never-ending nightmares.

"There," he said, brushing his palm against her forehead. "No more fever. No more frostbite. Though, I could do nothing for the Yin in your body. You'll have to refine it yourself now that it's inside of you."

"Wow?" Talia yelped in surprise, though she wasn't too happy, having failed to take at least one of her sister's fingers.

"Wipe your tears." The Young Lord coaxed, a bit perplexed by Olivia's reaction. None of the others had reacted as she did. Nevertheless, he smiled, brushing away a few tears. "Look, I know you've been through a lot. So you can have the day. Nia.

Tend to Olivia. The rest of you get into position. We're moving out."

Ren watched on and rolled her eyes, knowing her Prince was playing to the cameras to those gods and sponsors watching. She scuffed, a little envious. Altair brushed Olivia's cheek instead of hers.

"Mmmmmrrrr," snatching her Prince away, glaring at him with her large almond-shaped eyes, Ren snorted with a fire in her belly. "Hmph!"

"Dummy Art," she'd grumble about through the icy mountains.

Humoring her silly antics, Altair poked fun at Ren as the others watched enviously.

"Can I push them off the ledge?" Nia remarked. " I'm going to hurl."

"Ha, I need a man now." Aurora mused, unbothered the three feet of snow in which they trekked.

"Yuk. Earthlings are so unappealing, though." Talia sighed. " commoners only care about sex and nobles' status. It's nothing like what they have."

The three girls sighed with lament. Looking on at the laughs and jokes shared between those two, the shared kisses, hugs, frisky touches, and Nibbles. Nia exploded.

"I can't take it anymore! You two need to stop!" She shouted hoarse with rage. "It's not fair… I mean, it's not professional to be so affectionate in the open like that. It's cringy!"

"For once, we agree," Laros said, rolling his eyes as he glanced at Olivia. He had been a bit conflicted since that day. He had never lost control like that. And by the time he realized what he had done… It was too late.

He ran… dreading what was to come. Yet when they next met, she was by his side in his arms. He didn't know what to think. He could see Olivia couldn't even look him in the eyes. And Laros had enough shame to blush, to know what he had done was deplorable.

Altair, however, didn't particularly care. The discomfort of others didn't mean much. Especially to those he neither considered friend nor ally.

Nia was neither. She had yet to prove herself to him, though her knowledge did intrigue him. It wasn't enough for him to brand her the title of ally.

And Laros. Had no one been watching, he'd have slit his throat to watch him bleed out.

"But it's cold," he said. Though he would admit his appetite for Ren was increasing by the day. Her lips had never been more sweet.

"So!" Said Nia with a hard flush. " I'm cold too, but I'm not hugging up on Talia or Aurora… god-forbid that other guy.

"This is wrong?" Ren said, tilting her head. "Why?"

Nia exchanged glances with Aurora, who also seemed perplexed, unsure how to respond.

"Does Nia want hugs from Art?" Ren narrowed her blood-red eyes dangerously when she said that. "Is she jealous?"

Nia gasped. "I've no interest in him," She admitted. " especially one who can't seem to take his hands off you even as we speak. Separate ten feet apart and look straight ahead."

Ren felt cold as she felt his palm leave her. And looked teary-eyed to her Prince.

"She means proper etiquette," he told her, distantly aware of an approaching presence through the snow. And soon Ren felt it.

There, no more than five hundred meters away, a gray wolf stood as tall as any horse. It loomed over them with cold, azure eyes. Its thick double coat was billowing with the winds.

Altair went on guard at the sight of the Direwolf. Ren, however, was like a gale up on the wolf with stars in her eyes.

"Paw!" She uttered, and the Dire wolf sat up and gave it to her. Its paw alone was nearly the size of Ren's head. But the girl wasn't in the least frightened." Goodness, you're such a good boy!"

With nearly a heart attack, he sighed, signaling for the others to stop. Less they meet a grave end. Dire Wolves were known for their aggression to those who entered their territory. Fiercely agile as they are strong, allowing most to become tier three cryptids once they enter adulthood.

The one shaking Ren's paw was fully grown, well into its adulthood, and was nearing the fourth barrier of its kind, enough to rival a fourth circle.

Altair approached, careful not to alarm the Direwolf that slid its eye to meet him. It bowed, sensing the ancient force in his blood. The very blood that gave them the night.

"Bloodlines," Ren explained as the wolf gave a low, nervous growl. She turned to him. "They must have sensed it. Unlike our minds, the minds of mindless beasts like this one are simple. They understand things we miss despite possessing better senses."

"Though it's not every beast," Altair mentioned.

"Perhaps it's just the ones attuned to a particular element. " She expressed." Shall we take it for a spin?"

The wild fever had returned in her eyes as she looked him over. "Having a mount will surely–"

"Go have fun." He told her, smiling. "I know you're excited to ride. Go. I'll lead the team up the mountain."