"I LIIIIIVE!!!" Raising her arms high, Myouga let out a happy sigh of relief as she basked in the delicious warmth of hot chocolate. After the girl had kindly lent her a very nice fur coat, the little arcanist opened a portal to the place she was told thanks to being given enough information. They were now inside a cozy inn, and Myouga was helping herself to a near infinite supply of marshmallows from her mirror portal to her pantry. "Thanks a bunch for the coat back there! You really saved my hide! Get it? 'Cause the coat's fur?" Bad jokes aside, things were going swimmingly. "Oh right, I totally forgot! Silly me~ I'm the great and magnificent Myouga, arcanist extraordinaire! And this is Patchy, my little buddy! I dunno what Patchy is, but he's magical. What's your name?" Taking out a tin of butter biscuits, she began stuffing them into her mouth. All that shivering made her hungry. "Want some? They're really good!" She offered the cookies to the blond girl. Regardless if Dala took any, there was more where they came from.

"Mmm…buttery shortbread goodness. By the way, why'd you wanna come to Itjivut anyway? Not a lotta reasons to come sight-see in the land of permanent Glaciem. I'm just here for the ponies. They're super cute. I saw them a while back, and I knew I had to have one! Too bad they don't leave the island often. I dunno if they're fast though, but they can carry a lot of stuff." The small oni was pretty laid back and chatty, even to a kid she'd just met. It was easy for Myouga to make friends, as that was just how she was. Now that she knew where the ponies were, she just had to open a portal and coax one to follow. But like always, her natural curiosity had her more focused on why her newfound buddy wanted to come on this impromptu adventure. The inn they were inside was one she remembered back when Gifre's Vault had turned everything frosty in Ignius. Lise had come along and they both tried to enter its depths. They had been lucky to get out alive without frostbite, and they had the little pets to show for it. That was a tale for another time. Now it was time for plans and hot chocolate. Patchouli was now helping itself to the butter cookies too, leaving crumbs everywhere. The familiar seemed to have an appetite that matched Myouga's.  

A small smile appeared on Dala's face as she watched Myouga let out a sigh of relief. The warmth of the inn was a great comfort but….this isn't what she was here for. The little girl looked at Myouga with a serious expression, as though she was more of a fourty year old than an actual child. This mission was important. There wasn't anything that could be allowed to get in her way. 

"I'm Dala." The child said quickly, "Dala Asher Nesca." 

Dala looked over to the cookies that Myouga offered. Confusion crossed her face as she looked down at the pastries. She'd seen the dessert in windows and other places but she'd never had a taste. The child shook her head and looked over to the rest of the inn. Now was not the time for cookies. The gears in her mind where turning as she began to figure out how to get the dragon's attention. Her eyes scanned the inn and her ears were alert. If any mention of a dragon passed through the Inn, she would hear it. Myouga was mentioning something about the ponies, which apparently was her goal. Dala could respect that. Ponies were good, in their own way. They had a cuteness about them. 

"I'm here for a dragon." Dala explained, "I need to find a way to trap one. Dragons are strong and they have a physical intimidation level. But theres also the fact that dragons can speak draconian. A language that would be impossible for me. I do have a mentor, her name is Cao. She's an ally of mine. One of my best allies. But….." 

Dala let out a small sigh. 

"If there's one thing I've learned, its that everybody leaves you someday." Dala said bitterly, "I want to learn from Cao. But….I know that one day she'll leave me. Either by death or she'll realize that I'm not a great person. I'm not a perfect student. She'll hate me and then she'll be gone. Its just a matter of time." 

The child didn't cry. She wasn't allowed to cry. Not now. Not ever. Crying was for the idiots who showed weakness. The ones who wanted to be picked on and hurt. Instead, Dala narrowed her eyes and avoided eye contact. She just stared at the wooden table for a short time, lost deep in her thoughts. Now wasn't the time to be lingering in the past. Now was the time for action. 

"That's why I need more allies. I need as many people on my side as I can get." Dala explained, "A dragon would be a powerful ally. But that's only if I manage to capture one. Besides, I know that once Cao sees that I've caught a dragon, she'll forget all about this little incident. She's gonna be proud! I just know it!"

Dala stood up and put her hands on her hips while she spoke. Her eyes were filled with determination and that smile on her face displayed her confidence. Yet there was a lingering sadness in her eyes. She knew that even if Cao was proud, the inevitable was still inevitable. Catching dragons wouldn't make people stay with her. Nothing she did would. Dala had no idea why she was telling Myouga any of this. There was something about talking to girls her age that always loosened the child up. She knew that friendly kids like Myouga wouldn't bully or harass her as much as the older people. 

"The dragon stalking the village. He's keeping an eye on us to make sure we don't leave." The innkeeper was talking with one of the waiters working at the inn, "Apparently he demanded gold recently as his tribute. I think he's worried we will abandon the village to escape the payment. Can you imagine that? Gold on this island?! What kind of idiot asks for gold on an icy island?!"

A mischievous smile curled onto the child's face. Finally. This is what she needed. What she had been waiting for. Without another word, Dala darted over to the innkeeper and began interrogating him about the dragon. The innkeeper seemed confused but told her all the information that he knew. Once Dala was done, she raced back over to Myouga to inform her of the next steps. 

"Alright. I'm going to head out towards the edge of the village. That's where the dragon is apparently." Dala explained, "You don't have to come with me unless you want to. I mean…you are a kid so I don't exactly want to put you in danger. Even if you do have magic. But I can't stop you if you decide to come along." 

Dala packed up her stuff and put on some more layers of clothes. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out some snow boots for Myouga. The snowboots weren't as good as the boots that Dala was currently wearing but they would work efficiently. After dumping the boots on the table, she headed straight for the door of the inn. It was time to go catch herself a dragon. Whether or not Myouga came with was up to her. Either way, Dala would head out to find this beast. She began trudging through the snow, towards the edge of the village. 

Scrying the remnants of the portal the Undead would reach the exit leading to an icy plain unknown to her. Recounting the portals, Lixue would reopen the gate revealing the blinding white of unless sea of ice and snow. Not caring as to the what and why of the matter as all that matter was locating Dala and dealing with the one who took her. Even if it appeared as if she went willingly that woman could of use some sort of illusion or mind bending magic to trick her into following. Leaving the village for the Icy Wastes giving no thoughts on the fear and destruction she had left in her wake. 

Stepping through the gate the crunch of snow echoed throughout the empty lands with only the hallowing of freezing winds to accompany the Undead. Thankfully the cold was not an issue for the lightly dressed Priestess as any human would already be dangerously close to the first stage of hypothermia. Snaking through the surrounding area she would spot two tracks almost completely filled in with snow. Following along the tracks, Lixue worries compounded on top of another as Dala was not properly dressed for such weather. Doing her best to remain calm and hold back her Undead natural as the Gaes she placed upon herself was started to take effect. Fighting against the spell as her body grew heavier and pain crept throughout her body. Thankfully the pact had not taken into full effect as Lixue still had some sense as the Gaes pact required the target to be willing for the full effect to activate. Dragging her feet through the thick snow as the Undead could barely lift her feet as the pact grew stronger and stronger as the woman grew more irritated. Even though her mind was focused on the current task, Lixue could not help but be thankful for what she is as fatigue was not an issue as the tall snow and pact would be more than enough to quickly exhaust any living thing.

Focusing only on her student as the Undead shuffled through the snow stopping more and more to look for any signs of life as the tracks had almost been completely retaken by the snow. As she wasted more and more everything compounded more and more till she could locate no more tracks. Branching out in a circle to find anything as panic was beginning to overtake her mind. Nothing! Nothing at all! Where did they go they can't of disa.. Feeling foolish for not thinking of something so simple she sensed once again for any sort of distortions in the area picking up yet more remnants of a gate. Why would they travel here only to travel again it's not as if they are trying to hide their tracks? Confused by the odd actions, but not wasting any more time than she already had. However, as she tried to triangulate the location her lack of focus and the Gaes made it impossible to focus. Damnit! this stupid curse why did you have to work against me now! I can't let this stop me I'll have to partly dispel it to follow after them! Holding her hand over her chest a light would shine down towards the sigil as the chains around the mouth disappeared leaving her hunger more open to the world. As the pain and weight subsided it was replaced with an insatiable hunger. The Undead's mind was being overtaken with only the desire to consume. I.. won't let… something like this get the better of me.. Not when I have others who rely on me! Keeling over as a haunting scream echoed throughout the plains as Lixue fought with her inner demons. Pushing her hunger back with her desire to protect her student the Undead stood back up looking to the gate outline with one dull grey eye and the other holding a vibrant moonstone colour. 

"Hi Dala! Ooh, that's super cool! I've never interviewed a dragon before! If we can't speak it's language, I'm sure we can work something out. There's a sort of 'universal language' that all living things understand, like sign language and gestures. And if that doesn't work we can offer food." This would have been a hint that Myouga was not quite what she seemed, though this detail would simply fly by. This would become relevant to Dala later…much, much later. Myouga thought Dala was pretty gutsy for a kid, and she liked that. Before she could tell her, Dala started divulging some of her more personal feelings. While she did, the little arcanist kept quiet and nodded. The fear of being alone or abandoned was something universal too. She remembered hearing other kids her age worry about how their peers would think of them, how their parents would think of them, and how other adults who were important thought of them too. And she didn't just brush Dala's worries off; she knew they were real. Once the girl was done, the small oni gave Dala her two cents.

"Mhm, that's true. You can't expect people to stay with you forever. Friends go separate ways, family members grow old and pass on, and sometimes people die in accidents. That's life. You can't expect everybody to like you, and some people won't no matter how hard you try. But that's ok! My mom and dad told me tons of times–no matter how bad life gets, no matter what people say or think about you, do your best and live life to the fullest. 'Life's an adventure', my friend Nick always said. Since we're already here, why not make the best of it and be happy? Even if your mentor isn't happy after you get the dragon, you should be proud that you tried." Looking back, it was easy to think of things she could have complained about. She could have blamed her parents for not giving her a stronger body, she could have blamed herself for not being good at drawing or sewing. She could have blamed her bloodline for being stuck at the size of a child. She could have been bitter and upset when people mistook her for a kid every day. But that was no way to live. And so, she chose to take all of these hurdles in stride, and focus on what she liked, what she could do. That was why she was happy.

Overhearing the villagers talking about the rumored dragon, her face lit up with a smile. When Dala came back after asking them questions, her first words were–"CARPE DIEM!" She shouted, standing up and pointing to the sky. Turning to Dala, she explained: "That means 'seize the day' in an old language! Of course I'll come! I'm not gonna pass up this chance to interview a dragon face to face! Wait til Nick gets a load of this~" Myouga got herself dressed for the weather, thanking Dala for lending her the boots. Following quickly after her new buddy, she tossed some money to the waiter and waved as she flew out the door. "Thanks for having us!" The warmer clothes were so much better, making the cold bearable. As Dala walked, Myouga floated above, squinting her eyes to see what was on the horizon. There was snow, snow, and more snow. Maybe some mountains in the distance. With her winged armor, she spun around in the air, humming a little song to herself. 

"Heeeey~ So what's the plan when we meet the dragon?" She shouted down. Myouga knew what she'd be doing once they saw it–but she wanted to know what Dala had in mind. After all it never hurt to prepare an escape rune in case talking didn't work. Dragons were pretty scary creatures. 

Dala looked up to see Myouga with her and smiled. Despite everything, she was glad to have somebody helping her out, especially someone who was so enthusiastic about dragons. They continued towards the edge of the village and in a matter of moments, they were there. Myouga asked about their plan but Dala just smiled. Instead of answering, she took out a pair of large anti-magic golden painted manacles. It had been stored in her infinite purple bag, otherwise she would have been unable to hold it for so long. They were large manacles, fit for a dragon. 

"This is gonna be our key to success." Dala explained, "I'll need you to find something to get the dragon's attention once I'm ready." 

She carefully, and with effort, placed the manacles on the ground. They had already been opened when she pulled it out of the bag, as though she had intended to do this all along. Once the golden manacles were on the ground, she covered the chain part of it in snow. The keyhole for the manacles was covered in paint. The manacles themselves were especially made to look like bracelets that could clasp on. The chain part was hidden deep within the snow. It looked like a pair of regular golden bracelets that were made for a dragon. All they needed to do was to get the dragon in them. Dala looked over to Myouga with a smile. 

"Remember the innkeeper's talk about gold?" She said with a smug look on her face, "I didn't plan that but its awfully convenient to help us explain why we are giving such a gift to him. These are made especially strong, so that a dragon cannot break them easily. And they are anti-magic so he cannot use his magical abilities to help the dragon escape. But first, we gotta convince the dragon to put them on." 

That was going to be the hardest part. And either way, whether or not they manage to catch it, the dragon will lash out. That is something Myouga needed to be prepared for. She looked her new friend in the eye with a serious expression. 

"If we fail and the dragon lashes out, then our plan B is to flee." She explained, "There's no point in sticking around an angry dragon. But if we succeed…. protect only yourself. Got it?"

Dala knew that the last part of her request was odd but there was a reason for it. But for now, their main focus was getting the dragon to put on the golden manacles. If they could convince the dragon, then everything else would fall into place. It was a reckless plan. A stupid plan. A recklessly stupid plan. Yet if they succeeded, it would not only help the villagers but it would help Dala as well. 

"Next step is to get the dragon's attention." Dala said, "Myouga, do you have a non-harming flashy spell to get its attention?"

Meanwhile….

The Borealis Dragon was flying in the air, feeling the cold wind and enjoying every moment of it. He would be landing soon but he wanted to enjoy the flight first. This dragon was prideful and an almost adult. He'd already taken a village as his own and he was ready for the next tribute. The dragon hadn't noticed the two girls in the snow yet. But all it would take was one magical spell….

Exiting the portal, the Undead would arrive in the interior of an inn. Looking around she would catch the attention of the other patrons and the staff. "Are you with the woman and the girl they just left not to long ago". Closing the distance in an instant Lixue stared at the server with a cold gaze as she looked through them. "Did they say where they were going"? With her draining aura on top of the killing intent, the server could bearly answer out of a mix of fear and exhaustion. "A dragon has claimed ownership of our village demanding tr.."

"Where"?!

"At the edge of town"!

Sprinting out of the inn as soon as she had gotten the information. A dragon what is going on? Could it be that the woman is going to sacrifice her, no that does not make sense there are plenty of people here. Running at top speed through the village the Priestess was determined to put an end to whatever was going on as the whole chase and everything made no sense.

A flashy, non-harming spell? She almost answered before she heard Dala's entire question, then paused as it took a few seconds for her to check her mental inventory. "…Yep! Sure thing! Leave it to me, little buddy! They say bigger is better, and nothing's better than expl–er, magic!" Nearly had a slip of the tongue there, but no harm done. But then she remembered she had something even more effective than the spells she had been formulating. Something that would definitely get the attention of anybody within a good distance. "Uh ok, hold on. I got something that'll do just that–just not a spell. We wanna get it's attention right? And the best way to do it is fireworks!" Pulling out an entire caseload of fireworks, the small oni dropped it on the ground and started pulling the fuses out into view so they could catch fire faster. "Dala you might wanna take cover real quick! Just saying~ It's gonna be a BIG BOOM!" Starting a countdown to give the girl some time to get farther away, the little arcanist conjured up a fireball in her hand before flinging it right at the crate. The last words Dala heard before the blast was: "FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!"

The sound of wood splintering into pieces was overshadowed by a massive explosion of sparks and powder that reached high into the sky. There were a few dozen of those things, all of them having been lit simultaneously. It was a star-spangled rainbow of chaos, and if the sound didn't draw attention, the constant shower of color would. Myouga was still floating high, hands on her hips with a silly smile stretching from ear to ear. It was a smile of pure satisfaction at a job well done. If only the radiant blasts of her spells could last as long… Shielding her eyes as Patchouli began warbling in her ear, she looked around until she saw a shape on the horizon. "I think it's coming! Quick, what do I do? Keep it busy or start spell-slinging?" Both of them were practically the same option to her, the difference was whether the spells would hurt or not. From what she remembered from literature, dragons were pretty resilient even against magic damage. She knew she wouldn't be able to take one down in a fair fight. But she wasn't going to be fighting it–she was just making a distraction. And distracting people was one thing she did exceptionally well. 

Dala's expression showed confusion when Myouga began to talk about an idea of hers. Then she pulled out the fireworks. The second she saw them, she immediately backed off as far as she could before Myouga flung a fireball at the crate. There was a massive explosion of sparks and powder that ran high into the air. After they launched, Dala quickly went back over to the manacles to ensure that the chains were still covered in snow. She quickly added some snow just in case. Dala even stood in front of it just in case the dragon landed near them. 

"Just let it come Myouga. Don't attack the dragon. Let it come to us." Dala instructed, "I think we go its attention." 

The dragon had noticed the fireworks, it was impossible to not see them. He landed a distance away as he wanted to get a look at the situation ahead of him. The dragon walked towards the two and the golden bracelets. He already knew what this all was about. Those stupid kids….messed up the fireworks before his tribute. Although fireworks were uncommon, he knew when they were properly set up and when they weren't done well. 

"Excuse me!" Dala called out to the dragon, "We're supposed to give these golden bracelets to an all-powerful dragon. Do you know if any are around?"

That made the dragon furious. However, these were merely idiot children. He couldn't blame uneducated brats for not knowing a glorious dragon like himself. Surely their parents just were too terrified of him to actually inform them properly. The dragon held up his head and stopped in front of the children and the bracelet. He eyed the two carefully then decided to speak with them. 

"I am that glorious dragon that you speak of." He said loudly, "I'm sure that your parents haven't told you much about me because they are too afraid. I shall tell you of myself for your sake. My name is The Great and Majestic Garelu of Itjivut. But you may have the privilege of calling me Garelu. Now I'm going to assume that these are mine." 

He reached out towards the bracelets but Dala stood out in front of them. 

"Wait a minute. My mommy said that dragons would never dress themselves." She said with her arms crossed, "If you're REALLY the powerful dragon, you would have made us dress you!"

The dragon thought for a moment and realized that the child was correct. He was an all-powerful dragon! There was no way that a magnificent all perfect creature like himself would dress himself. That's what peasants did! That's what normal dull creatures like humans, dwarves, elves, oni, or basically anything that wasn't a dragon did.

"I knew that!" He insisted, "I was just testing you! Now hurry it up! I don't have all day!"

Dala moved out of the way and watched as the dragon placed his wrists in the bracelets. The little girl worked as fast as possible and closed both "bracelets" with a click. She took a few steps back and watched as the dragon lifted his arms into the air. Garelu saw the chain and realized that these weren't bracelets at all! They were manacles. The dragon bit at the chain and tried to pull it apart but the chain was as strong as ever. He let out a roar of rage then snatched Dala up in one of his claws. His wings spread outwards and he soared into the sky. 

"I WILL MAKE YOU PAY LITTLE BRAT!!!!" The dragon roared. 

Running through the snow as fast as she could, thanking her new body for unending stamina and inability to feel the cold as the Priestess was in no way dressed for such weather. Looking to the skies, she would see the dragon still in flight seemly enjoying its unchallenged reign over his claimed territory. It looks like I still have time though I don't understand what is going on. Nothing adds up why here and why such a young dragon? Whatever i'll.. Before her plan had even formulated in her mind a deafen bang erupted forth sending explosions of colour all around the area halting the Undead in sheer and complete confusion as to the how what and more importantly why. Though the why came to a realization as the dragon headed directly for the sounds and pops of colours sending a cold shiver down the Undead's spine as her mind exploded with its own fireworks depicting what could and most likely would happen to her student. "Dala"! Screaming out to her student redoubling her efforts as the Priestess had little no time before her fears would become a reality.

Reaching closer and closer to the Dragon's roost the Undead could make out bits of conversation, but more so from the dragon than what appeared to be Dala. By how the Dragon spoke it was far younger than she had thought as it had none of the wisdom or grace of an older more mature member of his species. Unsure of what was going on between Dala and the dragon, but by how everything came to be it was clear that Woman in White was the mastermind behind Dala's disappearance but Dala herself! Furious would be an understatement at how Lixue felt. With everything that had happened and what she had gone through, the Undead was at a point where her anger seemly rolled over itself coming full circle into a state of enlightenment, but the worst thing of all was that Dala lied and betrayed her trust in her upon purposely endangering herself and others.

Seeing just over the snowy peaks as the Dragon roared on about making her student pay. About to verbally lash out at the Dragon herself the sight she saw muted her as the dragon had begun to fly away with Dala. Looking around to see the Woman in White floating in the air. "Abductor, be sure to catch Dala and leave"! Creating a magic circle Lixue focused a curse directly on the claw numbing it causing it to open releasing Dala. Firing a small bolt of blackened ice at the Dragon to get its attention, "The only one who is going to make my student pay is me you overgrown salamander"! Keeping her focus on the Dragon not even breaking it to see if Dala was fine as in battle there was no time for luxuries like emotions.

"Uh oh." Those words were an understatement for what was happening now. Chasing after the dragon in flight, Myouga figured she didn't have to use 'non-harming' spells anymore. Dala's magical manacles were still on it, it'd be a shame to lose them! And besides, she promised to help her catch it. The other girl with bluish green hair told her to make sure Dala didn't become a pancake on the ground, and the small oni wasted no time in doing just that. Pumping more magic into her winged armor, Myouga started quick casting teleport in rapid succession–first to intercept Dala from making impact, and then to slowly creep up on Garelu. The dragon's wingspan gave it more propulsion than her armor, but soon they were growing closer towards the Boreas dragon's head. Still using all the strength she had in her arms to keep her grip on Dala, the little arcanist sucked in air before shouting at Garelu's head: "BOO!!! OOGABOOGA!!" The magically amplified bellow blasted the dragon, doing little physical damage to its sturdy scales and thick hide. But it was just enough to throw off its equilibrium in its inner ears, giving it a bad case of vertigo. And when the world was spinning, it was hard to fly in a straight line–or up. Garelu went careening into the snow, more dazed than hurt. The manacles still held, and Myouga's arms were burning while she felt the pain of carrying more than ten pounds of weight.

Continuing her teleport spam to make a faster, safer descent–the small oni never felt so relieved to be back on solid ground. Letting go of Dala at last, Myouga flopped down onto the snow as her familiar Patchouli began digging in her bag. It pulled out a healing potion with its mouth, and dragged it over to its owner. Wearily she got hold of the bottle and winced as she popped the cork off. Taking a big gulp, she could feel her cracked throat feel better almost instantly. The awful feeling like her arms were going to fall off was slowly fading too. That draconic bellow spell sure was handy, but it always hurt her throat after. That was why she didn't use it too often. "Oof…not one of my best moments. But it worked, and that's all that matters. Whew! I'm beat." She still wanted to interview the dragon, but first–she had to catch her breath. Her ability to cast within seconds had both saved their hides and their chances for success, despite being slower and weaker than Garelu. Not bad for a first try at dragon-catching! Throwing a glance back at Dala's mentor, she whispered loudly to the girl. "Alright, better start convincing Mr. Dragon quick! Your mentor's catching up and she doesn't look too happy…" 

Myouga was completely oblivious to the fact that she was seen as a kidnapper. She was only aware that Dala probably didn't let her mentor know about what she'd been planning, and somebody was hopping mad. Patchouli climbed up back onto its owner and flicked its ears as it felt a rather ominous presence charge through the snow fields, in other words–Cao herself. Looks like they had a lot of explaining to do.