Brone Heavyaxe figured he'd pick up a simple quest so that his niece would be able to get started officially as a guild mage. He was about to reach for something interesting on the guild board, but Gnicholas, sitting upon the dwarf's shoulder, pulled at his ear in order to remind him that Lumikki was too low ranking to deal with monsters at the moment. The dwarf scoffed, but he complied, not wanting to endanger his family, so he grabbed a request that seemed easy enough.

Arriving at the Women's dormitory, the dwarf sent Muninn to fly up to Lumikkei's window. The raven would land on the windowsill and tap on the window to get her attention. Though the ravens were only able to speak Brone, there was nothing in their contract that said they couldn't interact with others nonverbally. Muninn didn't mind doing such small tasks, but Huginn was reluctant.

Brone waited at a spot away from the building, but in full view of Lumikki's window so she'll spot him waiting with the tempest wolf, Geri. Benimaru floated by them, mentioning that he was intrigued by Lumikki and her 'dark and cold' personality. Brone laughed, "Dark and cold, but her heart is bright and warm like a dwarven forge". Though Gnicholas was silently reviewing his notes, he silently agreed, for he also found the young lady's company enjoyable. Her thirst for knowledge had gotten the gnome speaking for some time, now he desired to teach her as much as possible.

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*Tap, tap, tap was the sound on her window. Curious, Lumikki walked over only to be greeted with one of her favorite companions. She quickly opened the casement for a dapper looking little raven. This was Muninn and she was getting very good at telling the two ravens her uncle usually carries apart. Holding out her hand as a perch, the raven gleefully hopped on. Lumikki quickly walked over to her table where she had a snack earlier, offering he little friend some nuts and fruits to munch on as she got ready.

She always loves feeding Muninn when he comes around though she hopes she never gets a scolding from her uncle if hes too heavy to fly one day. She walked over to her bed where she prepared all her things. Uncle Brone said the quest would be easy enough, needing that since she was still getting her footing.

She tapped her shoulder and beckon Muninn to hop on shortly dashing out the door as soon as the bird got a good grip. She skipped along the halls and down the stairs, exiting the building where she saw her uncle and Geri. Giving a big greeting when she was near.

"Oh! Teacher, I made it a long way in "Magical fundamentals for Mages in training" and I'm almost done with the book. I even started drafting my magical circles after finishing section 5 part 9. Can you look over my work later?" Lumikki said cheerfully as she greeted her uncle with a hardy hug, soon after giving Geri a plethora of scratches and feeding Huginn the last remainder of the nuts from her snack.

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Brone fiddled with his horned blue helmet, inspecting it for any fractures, when Lumikki arrived. He smiled as he watched his niece greet her teacher. His own immediate family weren't versed in magical studies, so he was proud to see her enjoying her studies; he could now relax knowing that she was receiving the proper care that her mother would want.

"Wonderful, Lumikki!" The gnome immediately dropped his stern teacher façade as he turned to face her, "It is indeed a relief to know that someone in your family can excel so quickly in magical studies". Brone nodded in agreement, but after a few seconds, he began to question if that was somehow an insult towards him, "Now we'll get to see you in practice; though we are not using any darkness base magic on the field yet, your skill with your already learnt magic will be enough to assess your ability in casting".

Brone was yawning halfway through Gnicholas' long drawn out explanation, but quickly closed his mouth when he realized the only reason why the gnome was joining them was to teach. For a moment he wanted to point it out, but decided against it, figuring it was for Lumikki's best interest, for she was getting the training she needed.

They mounted Geri, with Gnicholas riding in the cowl of Brone's cloak, and made their way to Ochidia city. Brone explained that the Horizon Apartment structure was dealing with an infestation of rats. They would scurry throughout the complex at night and retreat to the basement at daylight, which was why Gnicholas suggested to go during the day, so that they can find the nest which should be in the basement.

* * *

The city was filled with plant-life, trees all throughout, vines running along the side of buildings, the cobblestone streets had plants sprouting between the cracks. As if the settlement was infused with the forest. They arrived near the center of the city, the six-floor building stood tall, not luxurious, but homy; the top of the building seem to have a branches sprouting outward, giving the building shade, as if the building itself was a tree. "Alright, let's get to work" Brone said as he walked up the small flight of stone steps and in through the main doorway to find himself in a small lobby.

A human woman and a child walk pass them as they exited the building, the child seeming in awe of the mages while the mother prompted him to not point and stare, "I suggest you reframe from using Dhuraindarin" Gnicholas, sitting on the dwarf's shoulder, had said with his stern teacher's tone. Brone scoffed, knowing already that using the black axe was too dangerous for the residents. Now they just needed to find the basement.

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Lumikki was very content in taking in her surroundings. The amount of nature that was taking over and infused into the city was quite fascinating to her. Used to the ritualistic maintenance of her home, she found this approach quite refreshing. Everywhere she turned was a rush of green and she enjoyed it.

Walking up the steps with her uncle she saw a woman and her child; the  tyke was staring and pointing like they had never saw a mage before and this amused her. She made a few frost flourishes as they passed by lightly draping the kid with delicate and soft snow, to the little ones surprise. Watching in contentment as the child ran around in circles cupping their hands in an attempt to catch the small flurry. Before Lumikki fully entered the building she let out one last bout of snow for the child to enjoy before giving a deep bow in satisfaction and smoothly spinning around to face the entry. A large smile plastered on her face to share some fun.

She skipped along to catch up with her uncle down a narrow hallway before he turned to the left entering a door way. Lumikki making note of the surroundings, finding it odd too be in others residences. She glanced at the pictures hung on the wall and flowers left out as decoration while she made her way down; peeking at every opened doorway for a snippet into others spaces. The curiosity too much to ignore.

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Brone had moved down the hall along with Lumikki, checking doors along with her. At one point he had accidently startled an older woman who had hit him upon the head with her cane. He quickly apologies as he slammed the door shut. "Are you alright?" Benimaru, fastened to Brone's back, asked more with a hint of amusement than with concern.

"I had a dragon breath fire onto my face, no further than two feet; that cane ain't anything to fret about" Brone brushed off the embarrassment as he continued forward. They eventually reached the door to the basement, to which Gnicholas had to point out since the dwarf was just about to pass it.

Brone opened the door and the scent of rodents was obvious. With a nod, the dwarf descended into the dark. After reaching the landing, Brone pointed out three corridors at each end of the large open space. The place was quiet, dank, and only illuminated, barely, by a single lacrima crystal that flickered, clearly needed replacing. One of the hallways was boarded up by planks of wood and a sign hung on it reading "Warning! Do not Enter".

The dwarf rammed himself into the planks of wood, breaking through the barrier, "Do you ever read!?" Gnicholas shouted as he pulled himself back onto the dwarf's shoulder, nearly knocked off by the sudden action.

"Lumikki is the reader in my family" Brone laughed as he walked down the dark corridor; the scent of rodents was stronger here. Eventually, the sound of squeaks caught his attention, alerting him. He then slipped his blue helmet onto his head; and as he did so, the temperature of the area drastically dropped, "I guess we're here". He looked down the hall and noticed the floor up ahead seem to be moved like ripples on the surface of water.

"Careful down here, Brone, judging by the direction we went, we are close to the Casino" Gnicholas warned as he squinted his eyes, trying to see through the darkness.

"I couldn't care less about a business that contributes nothing to the locals; besides, the only players there are suits" Brone scoffed as he drew forth his golden axe and Spellcleaver. Up ahead, two giant rats, the size of medium size dogs had come out of the darkness, walking over the swarm of smaller rats, acting as guardians to the nest.

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Lumikki stifled a laugh when she saw her uncle getting hit with a cane. She tried hard not to add to his embarrassment more than Benimaru had already. She was mulling tricks she could have pulled on the lady if only she had a better grasp of her dark magic. Sadly she had no tangible techniques yet to get back for the cane but the musings entertained her till she turned the door and descended the steps. Now all she could think about was how terrible it smelled in the basement.

Before Lumikki could have a say on their setting, her uncle was already charging at the planks of wood blocking the path. She gave a soft clap for how quickly he made a new pathway before being met with the horrid sight before her. Sure, sure Uncle Brone did mention killing some rats along the way here, but he didn't add the sea of rodents she'll have to part before getting to the nest.

Her face scrunched in absolute disgust at the situation she got herself into for the first very bulletin board mission she had taken on. Despite it all, Lumikki calmed down and readied herself for the fight. Supposing she'll have to kill a few rats before she becomes the coldest frost mage in the north.

Sliding her staff from the strap on her hip, Lumikki thought long and hard about the instructions Gnicholas gave her as she was training her spells. Her grandmother taught her the ways of primordial ice and how to create and shape it, to the point Lumikki felt quite one with her element. Emitting it freely without much thought at all, but Nan never taught her how to weaponize her craft or how to use it in battle. So Lumikki found that guidance elsewhere.

Taking a deep inhale she focused hard on the energy circulating throughout her body until she was able to direct its flow up her chest and throat. When enough condense she let out a hissing whisper. A lavender aura crept forward from Lumikki's mouth before passing a magical circle crested like an elaborate snowflake and turning into a thick frosted mist. Pouring forward past the party and shrouding the two large rats.

The rats being on the defense didn't react much to the mist as it bobbed in their direction. Their instinct was to guard the nest and didn't note the fog being a threat. As the frost clung to their fur and took hold, the rime spread their bodies as small flowers bloomed in a flurry. The rodents were taken off guard and paid for it becoming slow to act for the proceeding moment.

The last thing Lumikki wanted was for the rats to run and lunge at her.

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Brone rushed forward with his axes ready. He watched as a mist quickly bypassed him and enveloped the immediate area of the dire rats, causing them to react to the temperature dropping even further. The dwarf wasn't sure what the mist was until he stepped into the mist itself. It was cold indeed, causing his run to slow as well; it wasn't aggravation he felt, that Lumikki was able to slow down the tank that was Brone, something very little people people were able to do.

One of the dire rats lunged at the dwarf, baring it's teeth. With it's speed greatly reduced, Brone was able to swat it out of the air with his green axe, immediately knocking it out. The other dire rat tried to attack, but the dwarf batted it away with the golden axe, "Ha! Too easy-" he was about to gloat, but was cut off by the massive amount of rats that were now scurrying about before him. If it wasn't for the cold aura of Brone's helm along with Lumikki's Frigid Whispers spell, the rats would have bypassed the dwarf too quickly. So he began to use his axes as brooms to swat handfuls of them back down the hall, "We have te keep them from getting into the building!"

"D-d-do not use your m-m-m-magic, Brone, your s-s-s-spells are too dangerous" Gnicholas bundled himself tightly inside the cowl of the dwarf's cloak, the spells combined were too cold for the gnome to properly help. Icicle snowflake and flowers continued to sprout throughout the corridor; on the walls, the ceiling.

Brone growled in anger. All of his spells were destructive. If he would activate any of them, it would probably cause a cave-in or even worse, the building to collapse. He couldn't do anything else, other than swatting the slowed rats away from him, sending them flying down the hall.

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The rats trying to scurry her way were unsettling, so Lumikki acted as fast as she could to assist her uncle in keeping them back. Crossing her arms she held the pose for a little, giving her lavender aura time to bunch around her arms. She wanted to pack as much punch as she could to fend off the rats that were incoming. When enough energy gathered, she compressed it as hard as she could. Bunching it with intense pressure and using the patience her family gave her. Numerous black ice shards were forming around her as she took the time to charge. The more she compressed her magic, the better the shards would do in damage. When she felt it was time to release the coil that was her magic she opened her embrace. A large magic circle formed this time, another snowflake but slightly different from the last.

When her arms were extended fully the shards flew zipping fast in the air like freshly loose arrows. Her frost moth scales shoot out. They whizzed passed her uncle for she was aiming to the far back in hopes to take a number out. Her magic is not properly strong perhaps, but they can surely fall rodents. Sure enough, her immense flurry was crashing into the hoard. The cries from the rodents were pitiful, almost louder than the sound of wood being pierced. With how great Lumikki's sight was despite the darkness, the mess of rats took her attention away from examing the surroundings. She never noticed the wooden door to the back under the black of the rodent hoard.

This plastered a mischievous smile on her face, though it was only for a moment she did remember Uncle Brone mentioning something about a casino next door. Surely there would be a feast waiting for the rats there as they reunite with their pitiful cousins upstairs. After all, her uncle doesn't care much for them and it solves the problem. The job was to rid the vermins, not be saints.

She paced herself one more time as she charged her aura once more. This time she needed it in her heels. Charging her aura as she wandered near her uncle, setting up some preparations as her magic trailed through her legs. "Uncle I'll need you to step back, stand behind my shield..." She managed to muster. Focusing mostly on directing her energy until she finally had enough to disperse. Stomping hard to the ground she grunted the words "dwarven door" another magical circle just by her feet. More dark shards were forming once more but this time they were jutting from the ground. Mashing and grinding into the others until they came together to build a small wall with a ram's head on the forefront. "Push Uncle!" Lumikki shouted, "We need to push them back. Back towards that door so they ain't a problem to us or the people anymore. I'm sure the neighbors would hardly mind an unannounced family reunion aye?"

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Brone continued to swat away the rats who tried to bypass him. Though Gnicholas was shivering in the hood of his cloak, he couldn't stop the cold aura, otherwise the rats may regain their speed and manage to slip by their legs. Black ice shards flew by the dwarf's head and slammed into a group of rats. He couldn't look back to see if it was Lumikki who had produced those shards, for his attention was needed on his current task.

Black ice began to gather before him. As his niece asked, he stepped back to allow the sculpture to take form. Seeing the black ice and Lumikki's magic circle, he can now confirm that she was able to produce such a unique type of magic. The shield, resembling the black glass of obsidian, was beautiful and matched it's spell title, indeed looked like a dwarven door. Brone wanted to compliment his niece on such fine work, but he dare not let her words go to waste as he slammed his hands upon the back of the shield and began to push.

He yelled out a warcry as he leaned in, pushing the black door, having it slide across the floor. The frigid black ice and the cold of the blue helmet was enough to scare the rats to run in the opposite direction. Any rats that were brave enough to attack the door would find that it wasn't worth it as they too were pushed. Brone quickly reached his top speed as the door was closing in to the wood door at the end of the wall. Panicked, two dire rats who were hiding in the back tackled the wooden door with all their might along with a wave of smaller rats, causing the door to break off it's hedges and forcing the entire flood of rats to pour into wine cellar of the casino.

As the last of the rats were pushed into the wine cellar, Brone slammed the dwarven door into the open doorway, wedging it in. He looked up and noticed the proportions weren't perfect, the height of the doorway was left exposed. He took a guess, hoping that his next action would be enough to work. He turned around and pressed his back against the ice shield and cried out, letting his fighting spirit flare as he stopped onto the floor. His blue armor emitted ice that spread all throughout his body while his blue helmet glowed, enhancing the cold aura to the point that snow began to whip up all throughout the corridor. The temperature drop and the never-melting ice of the armor causing the black ice of the dwarven door to expand and completely cover the doorway.

All was quiet as Brone stepped away from the black ice wall, "That should do it" he laughed as he reached for his helmet, though he had to struggle for a bit since the layer of ice that covered his body like a full set of armor had connected the helmet to the chest piece; but once he managed to snap it off, the temperature in the corridor raised to a more comfortable pace. "Good work, lass, I'll give ye an A+ for creativity and awesomeness" he patted his niece's shoulder as he would make his way back to the basement of the apartment building; the quest was completed and now they just need to head home.

Later: Gnicholas had to bundle himself up in layered blankets as he reviewed the quest report to properly grade Lumikki. Don't worry, she received an A+.

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[Exit]

Lumikki knew her Uncle of all people would be able to push the shield into the doorway but she couldn't help but marvel his strength anyway. She slightly envied his physical ability though she accepted something like that simply wasn't for her. She was a mage through and through and she respected her talents. After all she was the reader in the family. She could grow to become even more for the family as well.

Soon enough her ice was being wedged within the doorway of the casino and her Uncle was making her ice grow further to fill in the frames. Lumikki's mouth watered at the sight and realization of her helmet and armor wondering how their frigidness would taste in her mouth. In the heat of the battle she hardly noticed how cold it actually became in the fray of things. She longed to make the temperatures drop like that helmet of his. So many things she wanted, so many things to achieve. All she could really do right now is take one patient step at a time.

*^*Exit*^*

Later: She indeed attempted to nibble on the armor.


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