The cavern was the largest Brone Heavyaxe has ever seem. The red tint that reflected off the crystal-like walls were from the molten magma that streamed down some of the distance walls and the magma pools that were scattered all throughout. The heat was barely bearable and the portal that brought them here was slowly closing; so it was obvious to the dwarf and Lumikki that time was short either way, "We'll take him down and bring the gems back, I care not if he survives or not" Brone said as he walked forward towards a black pillar where he had spotted some movement. He cared not for Grektor's life, the sorcerer had already caused too many problems for him, and now had stolen from all the branching clans; whatever the reason is, he doubted it was justifiable. Giving Lumikki the 'ok' would make it easy for her to go all out now that she didn't have to hold back as Brone noticed she would tend to do in order to preserve life. And for Brone... he wouldn't have to hold back either.

As they got closer, Brone could spot him, the familiar cloak and the ominous green energy emanated from him, confirming it was him. The Heavyaxe dwarf looked to his niece and gave her a nod, cautioning her and signaling to ready herself. Once they were close enough, Brone halted while having his weapons tightened in his grasp, any movement would immediately start the fight, and this is where Grektor began, "I'm surprised ye made it this far" the sorcerer's echoed somehow, his voice seem to be coming from everywhere. He turned to face the two to reveal his face wasn't as it was before, now it had age and cracks all about, his eyes glowed a sickly green color; he spoke solely in dwarvish, "Ye grown so strong, lad... but so have I" even his laugh sounded off, ominously dangerous, then he looked to Lumikki, "And who may ye be, little one?"

"Why steal the gems, Grektor?" Brone struggled to hold back his anger as he spoke, desiring more to get answers then to lop off the sorcerer's head.

Grektor gestured to the black stone behind him that four times his height. It was solid black and shined beautifully to the point Brone could see his reflection, "Ever heard of the Mallim?"

Brone raised an eyebrow; for a moment he wondered if Grektor was toying with him. The Mallim was the name of mythological forge of the great Dhurain, the god of the dwarves. All dwarves at a very young age, even as a bedtime story, are told that Dhurain had created the dwarves at his great forge that was powerful enough to make great wonders. Though a wonderous story, it was simply that, a story, "What of the Mallim?" Brone slightly motioned his weapons, rotating his shoulder, purposely warning Grektor that he will strike soon.

"Legend has it that if a dwarf absorbs a shard of the Mallim, then he'll become a dhain" Grektor answered as he turned to the shard and placed his hand upon the surface. Brone looked upon the slab and wondered if the sorcerer was speaking truth that the Mallim was true. If its true, then that slab is a shard, which indicates the Mallim was a huge forge indeed. And if what Grektor is saying is true, then he aims to become a powerful dhain by absorbing the shard, "Absorbing it would take time, but such a ritual shouldn't have disturbance... so I'll have to kill you-" Grektor saw in the reflection of the shard that Brone was already darting towards him, so he turned about and waved his hand, causing a wave of gravel to block his path.

Brone sliced through the wave of gravel with his Spellcleaver to cancel the spell. The dwarf was already expecting this; he had learned from his previous fights with Grektor to understand how to go about it, but so has Grektor, for the sorcerer had broke away a part of the ground and caused it to levitate into the air, away from his foes with him and the Mallim on it. "Ye ain't getting away this time, Grektor!" Brone yelled as he chased after the piece of land floating away towards the pools of magma.

"Ye said that twice before, and twice I have proven ye wrong, lad; ye won't stop me from fulfilling my destiny!" he laughed with great pride and determination, the green energy surged as he floated away.

769

The waves of heat would wash at her, it felt like it was cooking her skin. The air was dry with hardly any moisture, and the searing heat would itch at her throat. First and foremost Lumikki would need to adjust, a task she would do while her Uncle was still looking around and taking the setting in. Her cold now bursting forth to compare with the nearby flames, using all the chill the Daemon normally would to erode her victims, now as a means to simply cool down. She’d layer over spells, one after the other until it reached a point where the temperature here felt like a normal summer day in Luluhawa island. Still deplorable by her standards but far more preferable.

Meanwhile Brone was signaling to her that Grektor‘s life was of no consequence. There was no reason to withhold the malicious monster. One utterance was just fine for her to understand that he needed all she could give and the Daemon would reply to that in full. Her Obscura creeping along her skin right at the moment that Grektor acknowledge their presence. His voice hoarse and aged, the dwarvish thick on his tongue. The malevolent sorcerer goading Brone and letting the pair in on his intricate plan. Mallim? Lumikki pondered…even she has heard of it before many times as child from her Pa. Many times over while he watched over her in his forge, recanting the tale and upbringing of his people while expressing how what he did with his hands was much like what the Great Dhurain had. Lumikki often marveled at those stories, a bit envious there was seldom a piece of the hearthblood in her. Thought she relished in being frost touched, more so after the brazen blizzard had almost taken her, she still had much fondness for those who embody heat and stone.

But this was her people, those she knew. The monsterous and crackling being before her was foreign, almost twisted and warped. Whatever relation he’s had to the clan, now felt forfeited and gone. And Lumikki would wonder if this is the reason for their banishment. Was this the corruption that was hinted about? Of course there was no way to know now, in the moment. The pair had fleeting time before the clans would break her walls, and less so before the portal would stand them both to a place where she would surly die. Yet like her inquisitive Uncle, she harbored much curiosities towards this man’s plans and existence combined. ”Lumikki of the Omena clan. She answered back in perfect dwavish, though her voice soft and smooth compared to his. Her Obscura continued to over take her form as she aimed for it in full. Part because coating herself in her power aided in cooling her off, but also because the man needed to die. He could not continue the burden of living especially in the presence of that “shard”. If one could call the hulking slab that.

But the wave of intrigue only persisted as the man went on with divulging his plan. With a straight face, he would divulge his true desire. Lumikki would study Brone’s response, only to note how ready for battle he really was. Axe in hand and already dancing upon his palm. So when the gravel was flung, Brone struck by pure reflex. Of course he did now see what she had. And with Grektor‘s ascent, the little raven was sure to follow. Her six wings beating down all at once to propel her off the ground. While Grektor‘s platform attempted to depart toward the magma. Lumikki bolstered much of her strength to conjure two large black frost talons to hold the earth in place, their large curve claws digging deep into the mound. For the moment, her solution would work but it was a battle of the mages now and one was in her weakness. ”What have ye Uncle,” she’d exclaim. With the shard hovering up above, it was hard to plot her next move. This was not her relic to destroy, nor her call to make. So she leaned on the Dwarf to fix the proper resolution. Or per chance, rising from the ground as well to join the pair despite his short comings.

Brone's legs moved as quickly as possible; his own adrenaline mixed with the heat of the surrounding magma pools caused sweat to form and run down the side of his face. He avoided the jutting rocks and followed the more smoother road of solid rock, he aimed to avoid anything that would slow his pace. His fury didn't allow such obstacle and he didn't intend on letting Grektor flee this time. A wave of cool air, though temporary, notified Brone that his niece had unleashed her full dark harpy form; good, she was moving at his uncles speed, doing more than catching up. He looked up to see two giant black talons latched onto the levitating earth that held the Mallim shard and Grektor.

"That's demonic magic indeed, the little witch is more than a face, I see" Grektor had a low growl emanate beneath his words as he observed the giant black talons made of ice, then observed Lumikki's transformation. He had witnessed demonic magic before, and surely enough, the energy he sensed was heavy with it. He clapped his hands before forming a sign with his fingers, then recited a word of power. He as well as the Mallim shard quickly sunk into the levitating rock as if it was liquid. They both would then reappear on the ground. He would have smirked if it wasn't for the sight of Brone who was closing in, "Annoying" he spat as he motioned his fingers; right below where the Heavyaxe dwarf stepped, a fountain of magma burst from beneath him, claiming him entirely.

Grektor had assumed the dwarf had perished, but a loud roar made him second-guess himself. He gestured another series of signs and the piece of earth levitated too. Just as he was escaping the scene, a large white bear burst through the fount of spewing magma towards his direction while wielding two axes and two spears; four arms in total. "Seems like ye too have gained a form, though this isn't demonic like yer servant" He said before he recited a word of power. The earth shook and half a dozen golems emerged from the ground to block off the polar bear's way. Then the sorcerer quickly focused on Lumikki and cast a separate spell; Several large hands erupted from the surrounding magma pools and even burst through the high ceiling, all stretching far to grasp the flying daemon. Grektor had gained great power to be able to cast such magical spells in quick succession; though he was confident in his ability, he still had the little island he's on fly backwards away from his two interrupting foes.

When he looked down, he spotted the transformed Brone ripping through the golems with ease while keeping at his running speed, "Lumi! Give me platforms and bridges!" Brone shouted as he continued to slice through the incoming golems who reached down to try and capture or squash him. One golem managed to step on him, but the strength of dwarf-bear was too impressive and forced it off it's balance before it slammed down onto the ground and shattered.

"I don't time for this" Grektor's anger was beginning to seep into his words. He put his hands together and began the incantation as he turned back to his goal; the Mallim shard began to glow.

560 | 1,329

Grektor’s Teleportation took Lumikki by surprise, she was not as privy to his magic or tricks like Brone was. So as he sunk into the earth of his small platform, the hulking shard sinking with him. Lumikki sucked her teeth in annoyance, her talons now ripping and crushing the empty rock within their grasp.

Lumikki glanced at the expanding hands within the corners of her eyes. The molten ones pissing her off more than the ones from above. She respected his magic and precision, it was clear this man had a talent and she was impressed, but his putrid disposition and thievery would halt her from every expressing such a kindness. ”Heh, yer such a pain as well. Yer just wasting me time at this point ya haggard mage…” With a hard clap and the tilt of her head, Lumikk summoned a blizzard around her, enveloping the air from which his constructs were heading. The molten hands would promptly freeze, their hardening causing them to lose their form as Grektor‘s focus was elsewhere, meanwhile, the stone from above would frost over until the ice made them brittle enough to fall apart. Getting ripped within her storm until nothing was left.

Grektor was facing her Uncle, who was now in the form of a bear. A curious sight to the Daemon at first, but she didn’t think so much about it; instead understanding that he unlocked a form more akin to his nature, one that aligned with the might and fury he possessed. And his four arms would clutch the weapons he chose to fell his greatest enemy and biggest annoyance.

Lumikki rose her arm above her head, six wings flapping with might and power while stretching at their full length. And the mana was pooling in her hand, swelling from her core and being called to her palm. She would have focused on a more devastating attack, but her Uncle’s call woke her to his needs and she’d cease her enchantment, now only focusing on building the constructs that he needs.

Curling her fingers like claws, and swiping through the air with her talon, ice structures formed below. They began as a ramp with spikes to drive away the golems but eventually she’d make platforms for Brone to pounce, quickly closing the gap between the two. ”Yer not the only one in yer element Grektor! There isn’t only just stone here!” And with the feral growl of the words leaving her lips filled to the brim with her venom, Lumikki clasped her left hand, the one in which her power collected seizing the darkness that made up the emptiness of the cave. ”The darkness is mine Grektor…” It coiled around him and the shard. Rushing to his arms and holding him back as there was no separation from his and her grasp. It drowned his throat in a cold surge, locking him in place and halting his spell, meanwhile excess darkness dripped off Lumikki like blackened water. Swelling on her demonic form like a domineering Valkyrie. She did not take kind to his words nor his crimes and so the monster within her spilled out and clung to the pulsing darkness.

Brone would continue to rip through the golems who seem to be an endless horde as more formed from the molten ground. Time ticked, every second was crucial because Grektor was trying to fly away again while taking the Mallim shard and the gems with him. The four arm dwarf was beginning to get overwhelmed until the ground shook with large shards of black ice jutting from the ground, shredding through the golems and blocking off the earth, preventing more from coming forth, "Yes! Brone shouted as he rushed up the largest shard that was pointing towards the levitating piece of earth.

"Skilled ye are, little one, but foolish as the young are" Grektor watched as Lumikki froze the molten arms, cutting off the older dwarf's spell, so he started another series of hand motions, but his hands suddenly stopped as a living shadow entrapped his limbs, creeping closer to engulf him; Grektor, in a panic, quickly began reciting a different spell but was cut off when the darkness poured into his throat, his head jerked back and his eyes rolled back, the shadows too poured into his eyes, replacing the green with just black. Then all came still. The molten hands, the golems, and the levitating rock.

Brone came a halt, he looked about and a smile came to his face. He would look over to where Lumikki was and was about to congratulate her, but her advance form startled him. He wanted to ask if she was ok, but something caused a tremor of the chamber. Grektor's head cracked as green sand poured from it; the sand would then take the form of a large version of Grektor, his eyes flared green fire that burned like two furnaces, "Ye will not stop me from my desiny!" his voice roared, sending tremors all throughout the cavern. One of the swirling sand tornados that resembled a giant's hand had moved across the air, the tornado extended, it's force great and took the shape of a dragon, it's roar echoed as well as he flew towards Lumikki.

The dwarf-bear rushed as fast as he could to the highest ice spike to reach the base of the massive tornado. He then swung his green axe, and as the blade touched the moving sand, it dissipated. "Begone! Ye be lesser te me, a true dhain!" the massive Grektor projection roared as it's other hand snapped it's finger, the echo summoned forth a giant snake made of diamond, it slithered quickly and clamped down too fast for Brone to react, the teeth latched onto him, breaking through his armor and sinking into him, blood dripping as the snake kept moving, pulling the dwarf-bear off his feet and into the air, keeping him from having any form of footing.

Mana drained from him heavily to the point he shrunk and his white fur receded. He was a dwarf again, but heavily drained. He raised his black axe, but before he could bring it down, a whirlwind passed by and swept it from his hand. A deep rumble that sounded like laughter came from the large Grektor as the black axe flew over to him and entered his mouth. That axe would destroy anything that wasn't living and Grektor knew that since their last encounter, so he prepared for it; Brone was being crushed and was unable to move while he was kept in the air. The sorcerer prepared well for their next encounter, but the white haired dwarf knew one thing that the old dwarf wasn't prepared for...

"Lumi!" He called to his niece as he raised his golden axe above his head, the blue helmet flickered upon his head as he put all his mana into his next move, "Eat up and finish it, lass!" Brone shouted with great confidence and pride as he grinned widely at his niece before bringing down his golden axe upon the snake while shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Foolish, the Titanaboa is made of pure diamond, ye'll never break it!" Grektor roared, confident in his win. He then turned to Lumikki, "Ye can kill me body, but me spirit is undying and all powerful! Rest with ye uncle, lass!" he said as several more motlen arms went straight for her.

As the golden axe connected with the eye of the snake, a explosion of hail and snow erupted from the snake's head, creating a blizzard that spun and soared up close to Lumikki. Brone knew he couldn't destroy the snake without Dhuraindarin, but he wasn't aiming to... he just needed to feed his niece.

779 | 2,108

”Finally….something refreshing…” Lumikki growled. The taste of the blizzard fresh on her tongue and a boon to her searing skin. The temperatures within the depths of this cavern were what she expected Muspelheim to be. A hole of blasted fire and flames, melting the same bits of rock over and over. Granted being and ice mage with a lineage said to stem from the frosts of Niflheim left Lumikki somewhat biased, but her mortal skin could only tolerate what was humanly possible. She lacked the resilience that her Uncle embodied, but she would make up for it in raw magical power.

So as her Uncle afforded her a meal that tasted better than the toasted dark, Lumikki got to work on his request. As the snow coated her skin, Lumikki collected her mana. Letting it pool and circulated her in a particular way so that the moment it hit a limite, the Daemon would push it out in a devastating attack. And it would not only be Brone’s magic to fuel her, as Grektor’s words would do that same. Welling her with the pure desire for destruction and he’d soon feel her wrath.

”Ye should be met with the embrace of Aurilandür…I should not suffer another word from ye! If yer body could whither, and ya claim yer soul won’t do the same, then I shall freeze it till it’s brittle and shatter ya all the same…” And true to her words, Lumikki tapped into that kind of power. It would not pour from her, so much as the Daemon ripped it out of her very core. The severity of her wrath could only be met with her desire for destruction. As if her Uncle’s plea within the agonizing coil of the snake and ticking annoyance of the heat, turned her feral. She’d take Brone’s exclamation like a prayer, the blizzard like an offering, and she’d temporarily transform into something new.

Lumikki’s skin was now fully coated in the frost and ice of Brone’s spell but it was mixing and bleeding into the darkness that surrounded her. Wrapping around her flesh and wings until she was something more. The cold would not temper, it did not yield to the molten flames, and Lumikki would take such an aura and expand it.

The sheer freeze was now slowing the sand down the sand that made Grektor, this shifting form almost coming to a stand still. Black cracks that looked like veins, extended over his body, followed by the sprouting of frost flowers. They would bunch on the sand of his outer form but pour out excessively from within his gull. A guttural sound crept past his lips like a sitting toad, his flaming green eyes dimming while they now appeared to ooze black ink.

Lumikki, hardly looking human herself, was dripping with excess darkness, it hugged her skin until she looked like she was a raven in the given form. And with her second wind, the frost mage flew into the debilitated man, shattering him and the ice to impeded his from. While Lumikki burst forth, her black tendrils warping around the black axe before tossing it toward the diamond snake, she’d sit within the being known as Grektor and absorb his darkness and corruption into herself. Feasting on his undying soul as it converted into the Obscura that coated her flesh and merged within her mana. She’d sit for some time to see it done, devouring it ravenously as the dark that surrounded the platform cradled it into its embrace and slowly lowered the shard down.

The air, still not recovered from the deep freeze, still held a biting chill that nipped at the Dwarf freshly freed form the serpents grasp. ”I’ve seen it done…” Lumikki finally spoke, her voice almost otherworldly. She was still bundled in Obscura and darkness, so much so that she could not yet be made out. Though the were areas of green flames erupting from within her, sparking sporadically before entirely coming undone.

”Ye should claim back the gems and shard now that its all over….”

The blizzard conjured forth was then inhaled and devoured. For a moment, Brone had seen his niece transform into something of giant raven from the pit of the abyss, but he had to pull his eyes away as he was still wrestling with the maw of the giant snake. He had a free hand that was trying to pry the mouth open, but it wasn't even budging, so he ended up dropping the rest of his weapons which plummeted, but instead of dropping into a magma pool, the pool froze over and hardened to rock, to which the weapons landed safely. With all four of his hands free, the dwarf held the mouth of the snake from squeezing him further and tried to pull the teeth from his legs and his side, though it was proving difficult.

The snake was now fighting him back by thrashing about, trying to make the dwarf dizzy, but he held on, not letting any of his grip slip. The sound of a roaring blizzard began to sound demonic as it bounced off the walls of the large cavern; Brone wanted to look over to Lumikki to see what was happening, but the snake wasn't making it any easier for him. Then suddenly his black axe, Dhuraindarin returned, it slammed its blade into the crown of the snake's head, causing the diamond beast to halt in its tracks as if frozen. Then several large cracks bloomed from where the axe was lodged into it, spreading like blood and ran all throughout the thing's body before it crumbled, freeing the dwarf.

Brone tumbled away; he wasn't as dexterous as many in the guild, but he was tough enough to handle a few scrapes. He would hit the side of a stalagmite along the way down before tumbling to stop at the base. He quickly stood up and looked immediately to where Lumikki was, but she wasn't there, so he rushed along one of the daemon's black ice stalagmites to the point he was able to see Grektor... or what was left.

There she was, a being unlike anything Brone has ever seen, a mixture of a nightmare and a deep dream, beauty and horror mixed into a single being, like an art piece designed to leave one speechless. He heard her voice and he was so shocked he didn't know what to say, but when she suggested to retrieve the gems and the stone, though her voice was nothing like her own, he sensed her tone... it was still her. With that bit of assurance, Brone rushed over to where he saw the Mallim shard was being lowered by the whipping chaotic magic.

There they were: The seven gems placed safely before the Mallim shard. Brone didn't know where the remains of Grektor was, but he didn't care, he was sure Lumikki handled him once and for all, at this moment, the gems needed to be secured. He would walk over to them as black snow was come down, coating them. He picked them up, but when he looked, he saw his bag was torn, so he would pull off the remains of his cloak and use it to wrap the gems. Then he would look over to the Mallim shard, taking a moment to finally acknowledge it.

It would gleam beautifully, the dwarf's reflection was perfect in it's surface, hinting that the anvil was perfect in its fullness. Brone would walk over and place his hand upon it, wanting to feel its surface.

Something struck his heart like a hammer struck an anvil, the sound resonating within him like a gong; it wasn't painful, but it was as if his body was being pulled downward towards the ground. The pull was so strong he was brought down to one knee. What felt like several minutes passed as he tried to fight against the force, it seemed to have stopped.

Brone looked up to find himself within what seem to be the halls of the greatest dwarven kingdom ever to exist, all was made of gold and silver, the statues towered so high it would probably take months to scale, the light that gleamed were from thousands upon thousands of chandeliers, showing it's majesty, and there... in the center where all within the halls could see it... was the Mallim, the largest, greatest obsidian black anvil that created the first dwarves.

The vision ended and the dwarf awoke, his eyes blinking as he slowly got back to his feet, feeling slightly dizzy. He was bent over, his hands on his knees as he was trying to regain himself. He noticed his hands were ash gray, but when he brought them together, they didn't feel like soot, but just his rough skin, though it did feel tougher than before. He finally stood up straight to face the Mallim shard... but it was gone, "Where is it?"

The sound of something snapping echoed the cave, Brone looked behind him and the single green light reminded him that the portal was still closing, "Lumi! the portal! Quick!" The dwarf grabbed the bundled up cloak where the gems were and began to rush over to his fallen weapons; his knees buckled for a moment, he was weak, but he couldn't let up, he needed to push forward, so he did. He would use the rest of his arms to pick up his weapons before running for the portal.

910 | 3,018

As her Uncle stirred and wandered toward the gems, his body bludgeoned and pierced by the recent battle carried him the best it could. Like the warrior that he was, Brone pressed on. Even appearing to be not phased by her makeshift abyssal form, which at that point was winding down and receding now that the tension was gone.

Lumikki calmly observed the Dwarf as he cleverly adjusted his cloak and as he picked up each of the gems, she’d let her access darkness roll out like a fog and pour into the portal a ways behind them. Using it as a means to hold it open just a little bit longer as they secured their treasures.

But something odd would occur, in Brones task to scoop their heirlooms, the moment he pressed along the long black slab his movement halted. As if struck by one of her spells and rendered frozen. Though this wouldn’t last long as he finally fell to the ground, for what reason the Daemon did not yet know.

With her body already unraveling, Lumikki struggled with the swift flight needed to make her way over, paired with the magic she was pouring toward their exit so that they could still leave. Yet she pulled herself back together, if at all, to seize Brone and usher him back to the place they belong. Lumikki threw her head back and inhaled deeply, drinking the bitter darkness that was still tangled in the air. The fog that poured from her turned into extended tail-like tendrils the hugged the edges of the green flame. Meanwhile the soul she absorbed shook in fury and elation, its echoing remnants both angry with the process Brone was undergoing but overjoyed to see the pair trapped. Yet Lumikki would hardly pair him much more mind, as a fresh new flamed had begun to glow from the corner of her eye.

Like a match lit, a fire over took Brone’s crippled form. The large obsidian slab, almost brought to life by the blaze, resonated with the light. Splintering and cracking until it became a fine dust that overlaid Brone’s body. His once pale skin was now turning to an ashen grey, but the singes would halt there as no damage seemed to overtake him. Still, Lumikki could find no peace in their situation. And finally heaved her heavy form toward him, her talons open and ready to scoop him up once she was near.

In a short moment, Brone came back to life. His new form apparent but there was no time to regard it just yet and in his panic to their fleeting time, he’d lunge for the gems and begin a sprint with his still broken body. ”What do ye take me fore Uncle! It was ya that I’ve waited for!” With that, a black pillar of ice shot up from the ground just behind the dwarf and Lumikki would glide down just enough to snatch him with one of her talons, tucking it close and safely toward her body so that Brone would not suffer more damage. With the wall of ice she prepared, Lumikki kicked off of it with her free talon. Using it as a means to change her direction and not waste any more time. With four powerful wings, the Daemon would flap them profusely, pushing at her limits to lunge back toward the portal. The black tendrils that held the corners were still fighting to keep their way out open but it was reaching its limits in that task to.

When Lumikki was close enough, she’d extend her talons forward, while her wings dragged behind. It was almost like watching a hawk prepare to seize its prey but the closer they got the more her from broke apart like ceramic snapping away. Brone entered first, but the drastic attempts of Lumikki to see it done, but not all of her current body could fit through and only a clump could pass on.

Brone was sent tumbling yet again once on the other side, but so would the small black orb that slid past. Rolling onward until slamming into a wall. The ice barrier that was erected to slow the coming of the Hrùtr, was almost undone. Just a minute of work left before they too would pour into the room.

But it would take sometime for Lumikki to reveal herself through the black mush that encased her, as she lied in a fetal position while recovering from the frenzied shift. Upon some inspection, it would be clear that she was fine, only asleep for the moment. But it would be a short while before the dwarves ushering their way in could take notice as their sights were focused on Brone and he was the only one most knew entered the Dragon room.

So much as happened, and yet he had many questions, but he didn't have time to consider them, the portal was closing; then it struck him, where was his niece? Brone was about to call out to her but he was interrupted by a large talon grasping his shoulder and lifting him. Hearing her voice, though demonic, assured him. They gained in speed and were darting towards the portal. His heart thrummed, worried what would happen if it closed, they didn't know where they were let alone how deep under the surface.

With great speed they finally made it, but with such a hurry, Lumikki wasn't able to slow down, so the dwarf tumbled into the Dragon Chamber. Brone groaned as he slowly got to his feet, feeling every bit of pain as his adrenaline was dropping. "Lumi!" his voice broke through the pain as he looked about the room. He found her within a dissolving pile of black snow. He sighed with relief as he watched her frozen breath escape her lips as she slept.

The dwarves burst through the black ice that held them off to find Lumikki and Brone. They were confused, but before they could start asking question, Morgrym stepped forward and knelt in front of his daughter while asking in a calm voice, the same tone he always had when he was near his sleeping daughter, "Is it done?"

"Aye" Brone whispered back as he opened up his cloak to reveal the seven gems, "Grektor is no more" he smiled. He would look up to see the party of dwarves standing awestruck as they stared at him with mixed expressions. He didn't realize they were wondering of his skin and why he seemed much taller than before, but Morgrym redirected them as he carefully picked up his daughter in his arms.

"Time te head home" he said as he made his way out of the Dragon Chamber with the other dwarves following, holding their excitement in to keep from waking Lumikki, but eventually, their tongues weren't able to be held any longer as the halls were filled with cheer.

[Exit]

Stirring in her sleep, Lumikki would be woken by the clamoring of the Dwarven men, who could no longer hold their cheers inside after the outcome of the days events. She’d shift about slightly while she adjusted, slowly taking in the fact that she was now in someone’s arms. Confused and dumbfounded, Lumikki would take a pause before sorting out all that was happening around her. All the while, nuzzling into the warmth of her carriers chest.

”Is it done?” She’d speak in a whimper. For the moment, she was still tuckered out. No one would be able to hear her through all the boisterous and building praise playing about all around them. All but her father who tightly cradled her in his arms. ”Aye lass, it is….”The voice of her father was enough to wake the last bits of her mind up and she’d almost spring up from the shock of it. ”Papa! Is everyone fine? Is Brone fine?” She’d wrap her arms around his neck with glee from seeing him. Despite the horrid turn of events throughout the day, it was like the melting of the black snow and returning to her form somewhat took all the dread with it. Or perhaps the nap was all that she needed.

”Worry about yerself for now lil raven, everyone’s fine…” His tone still soft as ever despite sounding detached, but if one knew him well, they’d hear nothing but love.