The Star In The Snow

Kali turned on her radio to signal back to the Central Hold: "This is Kali Ckolision reporting in from southeastern Belio. Wyzsta Inazuma and I are making our way to Qualand to supply support. Are there any updates?" 

This report spurted out of the main intercom within the Central Hold. Everybody within the main laboratory heard her signal, but only one person responded, 

"Hello Kali, this is Dr.Censia on the other end here. Firstly, the last two groups, Five and Six, have made it to their destination and have begun to settle. Secondly, we have been getting constant reports of Earthquakes coming from Qualand. They have caused a chain reaction of volcanic eruptions, tectonic plate shifting, and landslides so far. We are unsure of how or why these are happening, so your job is to get to the source if you can. Relay any information back here if necessary, communication over!" 

As the call ended, she placed the radio back onto her waistband and cracked her knuckles. The two of them had been walking for about two hours now and were almost to the border that connected Belio and Qualand. Kali was happy to hear Dr.Censia's voice again and hoped everything was going well back at the Central Hold. 

"I'm glad that the remaining two groups finally have begun settlement. I know these last few months have been hard for everybody, but at least we are making good progress." Wyzsta said as he played around with a stick he found. 

"I feel the same way; I know everybody is going through rough times, especially because of these earthquakes. They have probably been felt across the whole planet at this point!" As she says this, Wyzsta begins to pretend that the stick is a wand. 

"You're a goofball, you know that?" She cackled. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, just wait until I get lightning powers and I have a wizard wand!"

"I wonder… maybe I could have a wand…" Wyzsta thought to himself. 

The air started to breeze towards them stronger now. The crisp air left their lungs cold and their breaths sharp. Both of them were aching to get out of the snow and reach the warmer climate. They trudge through the heavy snow of the southeastern path and gain more distance towards the border. The bushes were buried in snow, while the trees were decorated with icicles. 

Kali brought out a map and showed Wyztsa, 

"This is the map of all seven territories that I brought from the Central Hold. Don't mind sketching on it; I like to mark up my map of any important locations and document where I have traveled. We are almost to the border, and as you can see, we have to go through another mountain valley. But since of the widespread avalanches, I might be able to make us another path." 

Wyztsa nodded his head and began inspecting the map. He was shocked at how big the continent truly was. He had never seen a map of all seven territories before. His life has consisted of Tabatha within Mazura, and he has been sheltered from the outside lands. 

"Whatever plan that you have, I fully trust you. Your fire magic has come in clutch a lot recently!" Wyzsta replied.

Kali pointed at the map right at the point where they were about to end up, "Thank you, I do appreciate it. My fire magic is actually what's going to give us this new path; I'll show you what I mean once we make it to the mountain valley!" 

They travel through a few more miles of snow, getting it all along their legs. Wyzsta luckily had a cloak that didn't go below his knees, but Kali, on the other hand, had her large lab coat. She accumulated a lot of snow throughout her clothing and had to shake it off periodically. Anytime either of them began to feel any slight symptoms of hypothermia, Kali applied fire to her hand and lightly ran it over each of them. 

"Like I said before, your fire is quite literally a lifesaver. We would be frozen by now if we didn't have your fire abilities." He said. 

Kali blushed a little bit but just continued to heat Wyzsta. "Y'know… I do acknowledge your kindness towards me. A lot of people were afraid of me at first when they found out I was able to control fire. People called me a demon, a witch, or even a crazy warlock girl. But I'm glad that you can see that fire can also help people and not just destroy."

Wyzsta smiled and said, "Yes, of course! I'm sorry that people were afraid of you, you're genuinely a very kind person. I can also understand how seeing somebody wield and control fire can be kind of scary, too, haha!" 

Kali Distinguished the fire that coated her hand and said, "Yeah, I don't blame people at all. It just sucks to be misunderstood, but I am glad that you can understand me-" 

She then paused and pointed up ahead. They finally reached the next mountain valley along the border. They continued through the snow and finally reached the mountainous valley that towered above them on either side. 

"Now watch how I'll create a new path!" Kali spoke.

Kali planted both of her heels into the ground to gain leverage for what she was about to do. She began her hand formations to create flames within her hand, which then formed into a fireball. She then put both of her hands together to grow it larger to form Crispsor, her ball and chain. She then slowly formed the chains and held the fiery ball in her left hand while her right hand held the handle. This time, she didn't just stop there, she used her internal body heat to add power to her weapon. Crispor grew in size but now had two other separate ends. Kali now created a three-chain, three-ball flail. 

"I CALL THIS THE HINOTAMA TRIO!" She yelled out.

Kali then whips the weapon around over her right shoulder and winds up a big swing, almost like she's casting a fishing pole. She throws and extends them as far as she can along the path. Once it swung down, it instantly incinerated the avalanche-covered path. The sound of searing fire wisps through the air as it lands and finally hits the ground that lies underneath all of the snow. The chains clang together and scorch the pathway that was hidden under the snow. Kali then retracts her weapon, and the more she brings it back, the more body heat she replenishes. The fire slowly distinguishes back into her hand, almost as if it were nothing. Wyztsa watches in awe as she completes her distinguishing. 

"That was incredible; I never knew your fire magic could get that big. That was extremely impressive, when did you learn to do that?" He yells out to her. 

Kali finishes distinguishing the rest of her fire and explains, "While we were at your grandfather's lodge, I was looking at blueprints while he explained the crystal to you. One of his blueprints explained how adding body heat to fire magic could amplify it. He has more blueprints that we should check out when we get back!" 

"This sounds amazing…maybe they could help me understand magic better…" Wyzsta pondered before he said, 

"That is incredible, we need to check them out when we return! Your fire skills are already off the charts, but that was truly magnificent! Let's keep going!" 

They both continue down the path that Kali just cleared out. The ground they were walking on remained scorched and continued to sustain heat for a little while. Any snow that would land upon the path would melt instantly because of the residual heat that remained on it. They started to see the divide between where the snow ended and the flames began. They finally made it to the end of the valley, and they looked out into Qualand. They were able to see volcanoes, geysers, flowing lava, and a deserted wasteland along the horizon ahead of them. 

"I'm up for the challenge if you are?" Kali said to Wyzsta. 

He nodded and said, "This definitely will be a change of pace, and I'm all for it. Let's stop these earthquakes from happening so the world doesn't fall apart more than it has." 

They begin to walk out of the valley, but before they can start going downhill, a random man jumps out from behind a tree and shouts out, "HELLO, TRAVELERS! Before you leave me in the dust, how about you stop at my little shop? I will make it worth your while!" T

His man wore a completely yellow outfit that consisted of A yellow vest with a white undershirt, scraggly yellow pants, yellow snow boots, and a magical-looking hat. Scattered all across his outfit were all sorts of different star patches that were sewn into his clothes. The stars were all different colors and seemed to symbolize something they couldn't quite make out. Alongside his full yellow outfit, he had a big brown backpack on his back, which was filled to the brim. 

"Woah!" Both Wyzsta and Kali yelled in unison. 

They looked at each other for a moment while listening to the man and shrugged at each other. "Yeah, sure, why not?" Wyzsta said as he shook the man's hand. 

"Splendid! My name is Novah, but people call me The Star In the Snow."

"Come in! I'll show you all around the place!" Novah announced proudly. 

Kali and Wyzsta both walk into his merchant tent, following behind him. As they walk into the place, they see that it's full of color, with string lights along the ceiling, decorations all along the tent walls, and tables and shelves full of items. As Wyzsta goes to take a look at the gadgets that he sees off to the left, Novah says, 

"Those trinkets should offer you some help if you get into any battles! Feel free to ask any questions!" Wyzsta held his hand up to signify that he heard him and continued to explore. The table was full of items that seemed to be half broken and half working. 

"Are these tools broken, sir?" Wyzsta asked. 

Novah called out from behind his desk and said, "Oh, not at all, silly boy! Everything you see here was built by yours truly! If something appears broken, then it is intended that way. If you find some items, feel free to bring them back to my desk, and I can explain!" 

Kali was off in her world, looking at the different arrangements of outfits that she saw pinned along the right wall. Overcoats, baggy pants, winter coats, button-ups, and a slew of other accessories were hung up. She started to go through each of them individually, trying to see if she could find anything that could make her outfit look a bit less nerdy. 

"Ugh, that's perfect!" Kali exclaimed while picking out a new jacket. The jacket was made of furry material and had a brown color scheme with fire details at the bottom. The length stopped just around her stomach and fit her arm's length perfectly.

 "You're going to get it when it's so short?" Wyzsta jokingly said. 

Kali laughed and rolled her eyes at him before saying, "Well, duh silly, it makes it look cooler pfft…at least I'm not wearing a hobo cloak, haha!" 

Wyzsta laughed with her before following up, "Yeah, whatever, I think my cloak is cool~" Wyzsta knew that without this cloak, his eye would get a lot more exposure, even with the bandage. 

"I need to figure out how to fix my eye…If light makes it even more sensitive…then I will always need at least a hood…"

"Hey, Novah? What is Qualand like?" Wyzsta asked as he walked up to his desk. 

Novah spun around in a circle to face him. He held his arms out to his sides as if he just won a marathon and was standing on the podium. "Well, I'm glad you ask! I'm the right guy to ask, after all, haha! Qualand described in one word would be Hell. It's a fiery wasteland with very minimal civilization. It gets its name because of the constant earthquakes that the territory has. Get it? QUA-land…Earth-QUAkes…I'm sorry… I'm better than this-" 

Wyzsta chuckled at Novah's foolish joke and replied with, "My friend Kali and I got a distress call that demons were popping up in Qualand…so being deemed "Hell" isn't so far-fetched-"

Kali followed up, " So right after we got the call, we decided to head straight to Qualand. We need to figure out the cause of these earthquakes and try to see if we can stop them. More importantly, we need to eradicate these demons off this planet; we don't need even more threats!" 

Novah was highly amused by these two explorers within his shop. He has never met people more ambitious than them. So because of this, he asks, 

"Well then, I assume you wouldn't mind some help from your good pal Novah, would you?" Kali looked over to Wyzsta for approval, and he nodded.

 "Yes, we would love any support we can. We would greatly appreciate anything you have to offer!" She said to Novah. 

After hearing this, Novah clapped his hands together and said, "Wonderful! Well, since you two are going into Qualand, I have just the tool for you! Follow me!" 

Novah walks out from behind his desk and walks towards the tables full of gadgets. Wyzsta and Kali follow him closely as they continue to look around his shop. "These gadgets are what I call Frost Thorn Sigils. I've only made three of them due to their materials. Once I get out there and collect some more raw materials, I will be able to craft more of these." 

Wyzsta and Kali both looked down at and inspected them. They were in the shape of a pinecone and featured a metallic grayish color. Towards the bottom of the contraption, it had thorn-like spikes, which kept it standing. 

Novah continued by saying, "These sigils create a temporary blizzard that spins around the main vessel. They will only activate on impact with another object, and when it does, that's when the blizzard begins. This means that you are safe to carry, place, and move around the sigil." 

Wyzsta was blown away by this man's contraption and quickly asked, "So how big is this Blizzard? And how did you create this?" 

Novah picked up one of the sigils and explained, "From the experiments I've done, the size of the blizzard fluctuates, but I'm sure with some tinkering, It can be finite. In terms of how I made it, I was able to combine several materials I found within Belio. Kliop adhesive, which is found in the northern parts of Belio, reacts explosively. Combine that with some ice shrapnel, a detonation device, and internal wiring, and you got yourself a blizzard bomb!" 

Kali and Wyztsa inspected it for themselves and noticed the intricate design. With its ergonomic pinecone design, the sigil could blend perfectly into the Belio climate.

"So, how much would we owe you for all three?" Wyztsa asked while reaching for his wallet. 

"Oh no, no, no! There's no charge at all! If you two truly want to help this planet, then I just want to help—the same goes for her jacket!" Novah said while stopping Wyzsta. 

"That means a lot, Novah, we appreciate your hard work out here in this dangerous land. We will show you gratitude once we get back!" 

Kali Interjected before snagging one of the three, "Wyzsta, you can have the other two!" She added. 

Wyzsta took the last two sigils and stuffed them in his front right pouch. He then shook Novahs hand before saying, "I truly do appreciate it, and as Kali said, we will return the favor, sir." 

Novah smiled ear to ear and shook his hand back. "Don't sweat it! My fascination lies within the stars, not with money. When you two get back, I will have a surprise waiting, good luck out there!" 

After Novah said this, Wyzsta and Kali then left his tent. With their short pitstop coming to an end, they are then reminded about their task at hand as they look off into the lava-filled land that awaits them ahead. They then traveled down the hill and finally crossed over into Qualand, where they saw a village up ahead. They make their way there and quickly realize that the town has been nearly destroyed by the recent earthquakes. As they walk through the town, they see buildings crumbling, houses on fire, lava flowing through the streets, and people panicking. A young woman runs up to them, and she seems to be injured. 

"Help us! Demons are invading us! Everyone else fled east….We need to

 Before she was able to finish her sentence, she got shot down by somebody behind her. Her body hit the ground in front of Wyzsta and Kali slowly. Wyzsta was frozen in fear, and Kali held her hand up to her mouth. The poor woman died right in front of both of them before finishing her plea for help. 

"I…she just…" Wyzsta said with a traumatized shakiness in his voice. 

Kail put her hand on his arm and said, "I know. Sadly, we are too late. Look...k..."

Kali then pointed forward, and Wyzsta's attention shot forward down the main road to see the hoard of demons ahead of them. One of the demons that stood in the front was the one who shot the lady. The creature appeared to have some sort of weapon that fired a flammable object, almost like a gun. With little time to inspect their weaponry, they had to get ready to battle and protect what was left of this village. 

"I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner…but we will avenge you and our people…" Wyztsa said while kneeling to the lady. 

He brought out his sword and pointed it towards the demon horde that started to approach them, "WE MAY BE TWO PEOPLE, BUT WE WILL TAKE YOU DOWN WITH EASE!" 

Kali thought, "He is living up to his prophecy role with these quotes he throws around hehe…" 

She then began weaving hand signs and said to Wyzsta, "You're right! Until other Territories help out, Qualand only has us, so let's display a show!"

After she screamed, she finished weaving her hand signs and prepared to attack. The whole time, she had been building up fire energy and had several fireballs ready at her disposal, so she chucked out several fireballs in an arc toward the demons. Wyzsta then sprinted forward towards the demons on foot while Kali got high ground on a nearby broken building. 

"Take out any gunman, and I'll get brawlers!" He yelled up to her while he ran behind the fireballs. 

"Got it!" She replied while scaling the broken walls of the building. 

The fireballs finally reached the horde and eliminated several demons that were protecting the first initial gunman. This opened up a path for Wyzsta to charge directly at his first victim. He put all the energy he had into his legs to thrust himself off of a broken light post that was dilapidated across the main road. While he was in the air, he wrapped both of his hands around the handle of his sword and pointed it downwards. 

He then yelled down to the demon, "YOUR TIME HERE IS OVER, GO BACK TO ACTUAL HELL-" 

He landed on top of the demon, knocking it down and impaling it straight through its chest until his sword hit the ground. Wyzsta then yanked the sword out of its torso and wiped off its fiery remains with his sleeve. During this, Kali charged up more fireball shots and aimed for the gunman that were aligned in the back. She intercepted their shots and started to head towards Wyzsta with stray fireballs. Their shots got ricocheted and hit some of their demons in the process. Wyzsta then tossed his sword into his left hand while he brought his right hand out to shuffle through one of his pouches. Wyzsta then said under his breath, 

"I hope this works Novah. If not, I'm dead…"