Much like the last time Rilana touched the Null Shard blade, she felt her mind flooded with images she'd never seen, sounds she'd never heard. She was looking out through a crystalline view. It would take a few long moments before she recognized the cavern she was looking into. She was seeing through Juloya's eyes, and somehow, she knew it was not a memory, but the current view the woman had.
Then there was a voice, "Why hello there Rilana. It is nice to finally be able to speak with you, directly. I don't know how long we have, for He is so very strong." Rilana could feel the burning pain within the woman, the flinching as she contained the massive power of the man. Rilana could feel that power, it was even stronger than when he'd first appeared three hundred years ago. It was so strong that it seemed endless, a bottomless ocean to the druid. With his power, nothing was impossible. "You need to hurry, my own power is fading fast. There is nothing more important than me being killed. You just need to make sure you do.." She was cut off with another fit of blinding pain, before the connection was severed, leaving Rilana to only feel the burning that Juloya had felt. Any attempt to touch the sword again would just find it cold to the touch, but not triggering anymore connections.
Ortha's movements had ripped away even more of the ceiling exposing a rather noticeable hole between the levels. The muttering witch looked up at the songweaver with pure fury in her eyes, shouting at the mute through the same mind speak she'd used. It was loud enough that Rilana could hear it several floors below, "Little girl! You dare speak to me this way? You should be begging for what is left of your pitiful life. Any moment now, the last of your magic will be gone and you'll die."
She turned away from the girl in a huff, not paying attention to her footing. She stepped right into the hole that Ortha had accidentally made, fell at an awkward angle, and a loud snap was heard. The woman screamed in pain, and Alya could see that her leg had snapped above the ankle. The spell that was sucking the magic from her had ceased now that the concentration was broken. The woman gingerly pulled her leg out of the hole, muttering again, "I can use shields to reset and forcibly hold it in place... but that could use too much magic... I need another mage... to find one more... just need more power..."
Chartrose would be the first to see the change in events. The very first was rather obvious, the surrounding blizzard was instantly gone, the unnatural cold abated to just the normal cold to be expected here. It was all quiet. Becker stopped, sensing something. Then the blue dragon flew by, so very fast, dropping a barely conscious Svarak next to the dog. The feline man patted the dog tiredly, before looking up at the majestic blue dragon flying toward the upper floor of the tower. Rilana would be able to see a flash of stunning blue through one of the windows, before everyone felt the tower shudder as the creature collided with it.
Its massive silvery claws dug deep in the stone, and with a single bite, it ripped a massive hole in the top room, giving Alya a perfect view of its terrifying maw. Then its deep voice boomed out to all that could hear mindspeak, "You've failed Leandra. But I will give you what you always wanted." The woman cast a feeble shield in front of her as the dragon opened his maw. A flash of blue shot forth, encasing the entire room. Alya would be protected within her shield, the hole in the floor quickly sealed by ice. Leandra's instant shield broke instantly, and she was frozen just as completely as the statues that were in her control previously.
The dragon peered through the ice, "Worry not little one, I didn't forget about you." The ice had frozen the floor beneath her and the shield, and the dragon's control was perfect. A circle of the floor was detached and safely lowered Alya to the room below, much to the awe of those there. Alya could now hear a much more beautiful song, one singing of freedom, of the beauty in ice, of its majesty. And it wasn't sung by a single source, but as if all the magic in the mountains, in the snow, in everything that had just occurred was singing. And they were all singing for the dragon. The various windows shown with a bright blue light, as the dragon floated out away from the tower. He flapped there, suspended, glowing completely as the singing crescendoed.
Then suddenly it ended on a singular, high note, a note that Alya as a song weaver simply knew as Ice. All of the mages would somehow know, they'd just witnessed the birth of a god. Not any god, but the God of Ice. When the mindspeak was heard this time, everyone could hear it, not just the mages in the group, "Thank you all for freeing me. I am Shadaraliax." Anyone near the statues that weren't Leandra would find them suddenly alive once more, and listening to the new god as well. "Those of you that slept, the people there are your allies, they rescued you and myself. They are among my revered and are under my protection. Do not harm them or face me."
All of the members of the expedition, would feel a cold tickling upon their person. It was in a differently location for each of them. They would find upon their skin, what at first looked to be a tattoo, of an icy crystal. It looked so real that all of them would question if it was actually a mark or not. "This Blessing I give you will provide you protection from my element. You will also find cold worlds working more in your favor. You can use it once each to call me for aid, but after that, it is gone. Use this wisely, and again, thank you."
Rilana would see the white raven landing upon the dragon's nose, and they would all hear him speak to her, "Hello old friend, I see you played a part in this as well. Thank you and fly true." The bird nipped at his nose a bit before flying off to the north. Then Rilana would hear a voice directed solely into her mind, "You should look down, not up." If she followed that advice, she'd see Svarak there sitting up, petting Becker.
Many of the former statues had worked their way outside, while Ortha had found her mother, grunting with the head that wasn't sucking on the bloodstained book. Rilana would get feelings of warmth and familial happiness from Ortha, being back in each other's presence. If Rilana saved the book before it was eaten and made too soggy by saliva, she'd find that the front of it said, Diary of Leandra Sealta, Vol. 4 They were gathering around Svarak, all looking up at the dragon, who floated there for a bit. If anyone paid attention, they could see the storms in the direction of Frigmount moving to other lands. "The way is clear, you will find travel to your destination much improved and expedited. For now, I have other business to attend." With several powerful flaps of his wings, he flew to the southwest, soon nothing more than a speck, then nothing.
Aside from the immunity to the cold air, all of the newly blessed would find themselves unable to sink into the snow unless they so wished, leaving no tracks of any sort. Svarak seemed to be completely fine, though a bit fatigued. If Rilana approached him, he would smile, one that wasn't smug, but one that was genuinely happy to see her again, with just a hint of something else behind his eyes, something... nice. "Well Rilana, it seems our expedition has actually increased in size. Quite impressive." He then stood up, and pulled her into a tight embrace, whispering in her ear, "Thank god you're alive." With just a bit of an extra squeeze, he let her go.
Drisceya and the other knights were quick to load up the extra rams with the books they'd recovered from the library. Svarak looked around, before speaking to Rilana again, "Perhaps it is best we rest for the night, maybe a little bit of wine and smoked meat? It seems we have clear skies for a while." She could now see his blessing, on his right bicep, stunning blue that shifted in such a way each time his fur moved that it never disturbed the pristine image. The people that were frozen were milling about, clearly needing some leadership, to be told what to do. If asked, all but a handful would agree to join them on the expedition to Frigmount.
If camp was set, it would be quite the celebration. Stories between those that traveled would be swapped with those that had been frozen. Some had been frozen for years, whereas one unlucky Chillborn was frozen for about a tenday. They'd all been driven here by the magical blizzard. Rilana would always find Svarak close by, occasionally catching his gaze on her with the corner of her eye.
Chartrose would be able to sense that Shadaraliax had somehow removed the magical ice that had injured Tricia. It would still be unsafe to let her out in the cold, but he would at least know that she was safe within him.
If Alya returned to the top floor, and touched the ice that encased Leandra, she could hear the Note of Ice. It was a difficult sound to recreate, but she was confident that with practice, she would be able to produce it herself.
Once the festivities died down, everyone would find the night quite calm, the wind not chilling them in the slightest. It would be the most peaceful night on their journey, having finally found success, gaining confidence toward the next and final leg of their journey.
