Back at the Camp

The initial steps taken by the mysterious group had been to quickly and quietly deal with those that passed by using certain blindspots to their advantage.

Those that had been sledding were too far away from anyone that could provide them any protection so they would be alone in their attempts to overcome their attackers even of they had been able to survive the first ambush.

If there had been someone capable and lucky enough to get away then they would have been chased down until they were captured or had been able to get back to warn the others.

Unfortunately there had been nobody that had returned to the main camp that was set up and the family guards along with the other spectators had begun to notice the strangeness of some people not making it all the way back around the mountain.

Less people had passed the finish line and continued forward to complete another lap only for less to appear again until many people had stepped out onto the track and held out their arms. "Stop!"

The dogs had slowly came to a halt along with their sleds each time they were stopped and the race had been put to a temporary halt until everything was cleared up.

"What is happening?"

"Have there been some accidents on the mountain?"

"Hmm.."

There were some among them that had looked on quietly and said nothing but there were others that had begun to worry and form their own opinions on what had happened.

Lumi and Rayleigh had both stood quietly with two white arctic foxes that had sat by their feet.

They both had swords sheathed at their waists and they stood quietly as they looked off into the distant mountain.

Rayleigh turned her head towards Lumi. "Should we go looking for the young miss?"

She may have acted out at times during the past or put on a colder front but that was just her way of dealing with others.

Rayleigh did not like showing that she cared for others since it would be seen as a weakness but even she had to admit that she had softened up a lot since she had met Ki.

Their meeting may have been one where Ki put her in an impossible situation where she had to give up her rights and control of her own actions but the longer she spent with Ki, she had started to receive many benefits and help along the way.

Rayleigh had initially believed that she would be used and discarded by Ki just like she would have been by her family but she later found out that her way of thinking had been very wrong.

Ki was someone that did not fear taking action herself and did not like to use the lives of her subordinates to achieve something.

She valued those beneath her and those that had contributed greatly were always given sufficient rewards.

Lumi stood silently and her gaze remained still as it remained on the mountain in front of her. "No."

Rayleigh frowned and retorted. "What? Are you going to follow the words of your master no matter what? It seems that you have not changed much. What if she has encountered something out there?"

Lumi did have some improvements in the way she acted upon learning many hew things but there was still a main flaw that still existed.

The owner of the medallion or her master was someone that could give her orders and she would follow them perfectly.

Loyalty was good for Ki to have from Lumi but there were times when it was better for Lumi to be able to think for herself and to not take every order so literally.

Depending on many different situations that could happen, a past order given could easily become useless and those below would have to decide among themselves on the next course of action.

To the surprise of Rayleigh who had believed that Lumi had not improved that much, Lumi had spoken up again. "She will be fine."

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? So you believe in her? But I do not believe that this place is safe. I cannot just sit and wait around here while something could be happening to her."

Lumi was raised to become an emotionless girl without human emotions or a past which would follow the orders of this that possessed the medallion.

No matter what she was referred to as, Lumi was still just a soulless weapon of the Divine Ice Sect that was raised to kill when it was needed and to do as she was told in order to fulfil her other duties as the sole person in the sect that had the highest position but really had no power.

It may have started out as a small relationship that had been reliant on Ki possessing the medallion that was taken from the Grand Elder of the Divine Ice Sect but it had improved since then.

With the help of Ki, Lumi had become more of a person and had started to find herself through the many contacts and experiences she had over the passing time so she had started to trust in Ki a great deal.

Her trust was so great that she had formed her own blind trust in Ki that no matter what the situation, Ki would be fine and would come back safe.

There was still a little worry within her that Ki had been harmed but she had quickly pushed that aside.

Upon hearing the words of Rayleigh, her brows knit for a moment to show her disapproval. "No. We both much remain or we both should go."

She spoke in a cold and stern voice which left no room for further negotiation so Rayleigh had no choice but to respond. "Fine.. we will remain for now but stay on guard. We do not know where an attack may come from."

Both of their hands were positioned near their handle of their sheathed swords as they readied themselves to pull them out at a moments notice.

If there was the slightest disturbance or danger then they would be ready to move and with their guidance, their foxes had looked around in different directions so that their blind spots could be covered and they could spot anything going on around them.

Their guards had been raised while others around them were busy trying to arrange a team to send others back and for others to enter the mountain to seek out survivors or potential assailants.