n

n

nDarsi was sitting comfortably on a chair outside the Turtle House's backdoor when Nix arrived, nearly an hour after his meeting in the library.

nThe ponytailed sniper stood up when Nix approached.

"Hey, Trip-7. Can you take a look at my armor?

"

nDarsi slipped off the medium Eidengal armor set. Underneath, she wore a one-piece underarmor bodysuit that had been custom-made by the Inferno Leader. Her lithe figure was a feminine blend of muscle and lean curves. Like many players working at the Gladis hub, she hadn't bothered to change her looks for the Avatar she made for crafting.

nNix glanced at the underarmor; he had placed a number of enhancements on it so that Darsi could use the slots on the Eidengal armor set for something else.

nThe blonde noticed his glance.

"Like what you see, Trip-7?

"

n

"No comment.

" Nix chuckled at the innuendo.

"You have one slot left on this armor.

"

nDarsi flashed him a smile; the sniper gave him an innocent look.

"I don't suppose you have another Arctic Slayer sitting around?

"

nNix bit down on the automatic reply he prepared for anyone asking about that puppet. The Slayer was the result of three Emperor puppets being sacrificed. However, he couldn't help but feel that he owed Darsi.

"I'll hook you up after we deal with Eidengal.

"

nDarsi grinned knowingly.

"I'm only teasing you, Trip-7. I've seen the Taxidermist skill-tree. Even one Emperor is much too expensive to give away as a favor.

"

n

"No worries. I can make plenty of credits after we deal with Khione.

" Nix noticed a movement inside the Turtle house.

"Del is already here?

"

nDarsi nodded her head, making the blonde ponytail bounce.

"I've been working with Beta to make a new thermal-masking ring.

" She held up five rings before placing them in Nix's hand. The Inferno sniper had been a Gladis-Trained Artificer. Like Nix, she had the entire inventory of rare and super-rare components for her craft.

"Should be enough to keep you from getting targeted.

"

nNix lowered his voice and leaned closer.

"I noticed some of the crits the sniper team was landing during the Barrot fight.

" Everyone knew about the Inferno Leader's inflated stats, but Dalton, Darsi, and Moki enjoyed a similar advantage. The more they used a specific stat, the higher it would climb.

n

"Bet you're curious about my stats.

" Darsi and the rest of the ex-Gladis crafters kept that a secret. Nix had told them about the Colonial developers' message regarding his own inflated stats, so they were naturally cautious.

n

"A bit,

" Nix admitted.

nDarsi winked at him.

"38-24-36.

"

n

"Huh?

" Nix's face showed a moment of confusion before he laughed loudly.

"Lies... I'll buy the 24-36 part.

"

n

"Bastard.

" Darsi found his laugh infectious and joined him.

nNix slipped one of the rings on.

nThermo-Ice

nRing: Unique Item.

nDescription: Adapts the heat signature

nof the wearer to whatever environment

nthey are in.

n

"I assume you tested them?

"

n

"I tested them with Vooni; Dragon Eyes can't detect them up at all.

"

nNix stowed the rest of the bracelets. Originally he got the idea from Beta, who had been using an artifact to mask her thermal signature while doing Ops for Commander Mtui.

"Perfect. How's the Central Kingdom War Camp?

"

n

"Mid-tier Guilds are grinding hard, and as usual, you and Morti are the talk of the Region.

" Darsi was content to be the highest burst DPS in Inferno; she didn't want or need the notoriety that followed Nix around.

"Heard you caught game 7 of the series.

"

n

"Yep. Looked like the Yankees were going to pull it off, but they fell short.

" Nix patted her on the shoulder; he assumed she was a Yankee fan from the sour expression.

"There's always next year.

"

nDarsi received her armor back and quickly equipped it.

"Give me a mission, Trip-7. One-shotting Ice Howlers is getting tiresome.

"

n

"Hmm? Yeah, okay.

" Nix opened his hud and brought up the mid-spire map.

"I'm still on the hook for the Khione quests.

" He highlighted Lana on the map; it was covered in snow like everything else in Everspire.

nDarsi leaned closer and studied the hud.

"Lana? Never been there, actually.

"

nYou have shared a quest with Darsi.

nCurse of the Ice Goddess.

nObjective: The Mayor of Free Trader City

nhas requested that you help him build support

nwith leaders of the Four Corners.

nReport to General Remis in Dhou. Completed

nReport to Quartermaster Felid Sah in Vespri.

nReport to the Thieves Guild in Mocai. Completed

nReport to Madam Ravine in Lana.

n

"It's all yours, Darsi. You get started, and I'll join in once we deal with Eidengal.

" Nix opened the backdoor to the Turtle House when he noticed Del stalking through the kitchen.

"I can breach you into Free Trader city if you like.

"

nDarsi shook her head.

"Don't drag your feet in Eidengal, or else I'll have it finished before you show up.

" She brought out a familiar-looking bracer and activated it before vanishing with a quick wave.

n

"You and Darsi seem close.

" The Slayer's blue eyes stared at the Inferno Leader, her short ears pricked forward.

nNix considered the comment for a moment.

"She helped me when I needed it. I know her well enough to trust her.

"

nDel rubbed her head into Nix's side, prompting him to scratch the soft fur behind her ears.

"Like you helped me in Everflame?

"

n

"Yeah. A lot like that, actually.

" Nix stepped into the kitchen, letting Del walk by before shutting the door.

"How do you like the new form?

"

n

"It's beyond amazing. Look at this!

" Del held up one paw; her retracted claws were barely visible.

"Push slightly on the center pad.

"

nNix nodded and pushed the large pad that made up the paw's center; doing so caused the paw to spread wider.

"Like a snowshoe?

"

n

"I barely sink into the snow at all, despite my size.

" Del's short ears pricked forward.

"The rest of the group are here.

"

nNix waved the group in; Jun Li went right for the Slayer. She was a hopeless cat lover.

"Before you ask Junie, I'm not making you one.

"

nJun Li smiled despite his words.

"So soft!

" She stroked the soft white fur once, letting her fingers sink in.

nNix kept his face carefully neutral.

"You do realize that's an Ain'Dhassi ranger and not a house cat?

"

nJun Li instantly removed her hands.

"Oh crap. I'm sorry, Del, sometimes I get carried away.

"

nDel fixed Nix with a stare before rubbing her head against Jun Li's arm.

"Don't listen to Nix.

"

nWhisper: Del to Nix Why'd you stop her? That feels nice.

nNix handed everyone the thermo-masking rings that Darsi had brought over.

"Stow these in your inventory. Once we recover the corpses, you can put them on.

"

nDel has joined Alpha.

n

/Alpha: Semmi: How were we playing this, Nix?

n

/Alpha: Nix: In two separate stages. I'll breach us into the Great Desert, somewhere near the outskirts. Can you track corpses, Del?

n

/Alpha: Del: Yes.

n

/Alpha: Nix: We'll find and recover the corpses, then return here long enough to get our Ashobel puppets up. Simple.

n

/Alpha: Semmi: Simple works.

nNix stepped outside and opened a breach. The other members of the team had re-equipped themselves with their spare gear. After Alpha entered the breach, Nix followed and closed it behind them.

nDragon Eyes

nNix's yellow eyes turned orange as his thermal vision kicked in. A quick glance at his team showed him that they had equipped the new rings. Del was the only one who stood out.

nThe zone hadn't changed at all; white-out conditions limited visibility to only a few meters. The snow at the outskirts was only two meters deep, but the team knew that closer to Eidengal, the snow would climb to more than six meters.

n

/Alpha: Del: Bringing up track, sharing it with the group.

nTracking Results: Corpses Only

nSemmi 1.4 Km NE

nWind 1.4 Km NE

nJun Li 1.4 Km NE

n

/Alpha: Pon: At least you aren't spread out all over the place.

n

/Alpha: Nix: If we find any more bone quills, be sure to pick them up.

n

/Alpha: Pon: I'm interested to see how many of you are pincushions.

n

/Alpha: Wind: Whatever.

n

/Alpha: Del: Someone else is on track, Nix.

n

/Alpha: Nix: I don't see anyone?

n

/Alpha: Del: I weeded out the living creatures buried beneath the snow and sand. There's a person named Emi, 1 Km north of our position.

n

/Alpha: Pon: Emi? Shit...

n

/Alpha: Nix: I'll be able to find her with Dragon Eyes, take the team to their corpses, and then find me. Be careful.

nNix headed north at a run, in this temperature every moment could make the difference between life and death. Dragon Eyes ignored the white-out conditions, but as he progressed closer to Eidengal, the snow's depth forced him to return to tunneling under rather than scampering across the surface. He ignited his aura and slowed to a walk. The heat coming off him evaporated the snow, leaving only an ice tunnel in his wake.

n

"Shit...

" He spotted her only after walking past her twice. Her body temperature seemed to be dropping steadily. The Eidengal cleric held a shield in one hand; the lower half of her partially frozen body was encased in ice.

n

"EMI!

" Nix shouted her name and slowly increased the air temperature around her. Her skin held the blueish tinge of someone exposed to frigid conditions. He had talked with her once or twice while at the Bone Fortress. She was the cleric in Edi's group, a clumsy girl who seemed to be constantly falling.

nSlowly, over the course of a few minutes, the bluish tinge of her skin regained a healthier glow. The icicles that clung to her short light brown hair slowly melted until her wet hair clung to her scalp.

n

/Alpha: Pon: Found the team. You should have seen Wind. Four quills through the chest.

n

/Alpha: Wind: Three actually, the fourth hit me in the throat.

n

/Alpha: Semmi: You find Emi?

n

/Alpha: Nix: Yeah. Find me, Del.

n

/Alpha: Del: Already on our way.

nNix continued to warm the air around the unconscious cleric, careful not to use too much heat. By the time the rest of Alpha arrived a few minutes later, all the ice holding Emi was melted. He dropped his Emerald Flame aura and picked her up.

nCreate Breach: Great Desert Haven, Ranch House

n

/Alpha: Nix: Everyone in.

nNix waited until last and then stepped through the gate.

n