Chapter 22: Ice Age

Slowly, the northern hemisphere became dominated by winter, as the planet continued its journey around the sun. Far up north, silence reigned in the polar region, except the occasional howl of the frigid wind.

And then a creaking sound sundered the silence, echoing across the white wastes. The ice began splintering, as a deep rumbling began rising in intensity. Then it fractured, crevasses opening into its frozen depths in an instant. And then it exploded up into the air, showering the snowy desert with enormous chunks of pure ice. From the depths of this frozen realm, a great structure rose, a magnificent tower formed from the very heart of the polar region. It ripped itself loose from its foundation, defying gravity and soaring into the air. It hung there for a couple of seconds, as the aftershocks of its birth faded into nothing. And then it began moving south, hovering far above the icy land.

Inside the core of this frozen fortress, the white-clad fairy general paced, awaiting the inevitable call. It didn't take long. In the blink of an eye, an ethereal version of Morgana manifested in the room. "Aurora," she began. "I see that you have successfully resurrected your fortress."

"Indeed. We are already moving south to join the war effort," the fairy general named Aurora responded. "Any news?"
"Yes. I'm afraid that in your absence, the others have proved... Less than capable of handling the current situation," the fairy queen explained. "Diana has fallen into their hands and we suspect that means that she has had her powers removed. Sibylla was attacked inside her domain, but managed to get away. This has gone on long enough. The Black Circle and these outsiders they have allied with must be brought to heel."

"I see," the blonde general responded. She rubbed her chin, deep in concentration. "I believe I have an idea. I will need Nebula's assistance. And, of course, I will recommend that you inform the others that they need to prepare themselves."
"You have a plan then?" Morgana inquired, eyebrow raised.

"That I do. I will give them an ultimatum. Either they surrender or they will come for me. Either way, I will be able to deal with them."
"Then I shall call on Nebula so that you may enlighten him on his role in this," Morgana said and faded.

Aurora paused, before touching a nearby wall. As she spoke, her voice reverberated through the skyborne complex, allowing her soldiers to hear her. "All units, prepare to initiate the ever frost ritual. I will lead the ceremony myself once I have done the last preparations and designated a target." She let the spell drop and turned to the middle of the command room, where a map of the planet formed in the ice at her command. She considered it carefully, noting the speed of her base and the general timeframe she had to work with.

It was while she was focusing on this that the ethereal shape of Nebula formed. "You called?" he began.

"Yes. I'll need your assistance for phase one of this," Aurora mumbled, as she tapped the map. "You'll need to bring a message to our adversaries. An ultimatum, if you will." She let her gloved fingers glide across the map. "England and France were quite powerful before our fall. Do you think that remains true?"

"Seems like it. Their forces are putting up a fight. These newfangled toys they have come up with actually make them dangerous," Nebula admitted. "Not that I could get either Diana or Sibylla to admit it."
"It would be a costly mistake to underestimate their prowess. As those two have already proved." Aurora pointed her finger at the English Channels. "That should suffice. I want you to go to the colonies in the new world and inform the girls that they are to either surrender or I shall envelope the entirety of Europe in a glacier. Once you have done so, contact me again. I will possibly need further assistance from you."

"Understood." The ethereal shape faded.

Aurora dismissed the map, returning it to a blank surface of ice. Then she called forth the heart of the castle, a crystal carved from pure glacial ice, charged with magical energy. Using it as a focus, she and her subordinates began channelling their power into the great ritual, as the building silently glided south far above the ocean, undetected by the people below.

Hours later, they arrived at their destination. There was but a moment's pause. Then a brilliant blue beam sprang forth from the bottom of the icy tower like a bolt of frozen lightning. It smashed into the waters below, a wave of cold air exploding in every directions, as the waters began to rapidly freeze over.

Back on the west coast of the U.S. of A, a sense of calm had settled over the city. Efforts to rebuild Gardenia and get housing for its citizens was underway, but slowed due to the number of cities that had been hit. The region was looking at years of effort to fully recover.

Bloom considered these things as she watched a bulldozer scrape up rubble from a window on the Dance Hall's upper floor. Gardenia had always seemed a safe haven, a place she could always return to. Something that seemed stable compared to Alfea. But first, she had had to exile herself due to what had revealed itself to be a misunderstanding. And now, Diana had torn it apart. She might have been imprisoned and would face a trial at some point, but she had forever scarred the city. Even when rebuilt, it would never be the same.

"You look like somebody who is thinking too much," Sky noted, as he walked over to her. "Something you wanted to talk about?"
The redhead exhaled tiredly. "Not really. Guess I was just getting nostalgic. I just always imagined that my Gardenia would always be here. But now..." She shook her head. "Everything has changed."
"Well, I'm not really the philosophical type," the crown prince admitted, scratching his neck. "But the way I see it, everything changes. I mean, just look at everything that's been happening lately."
Bloom was silent for a moment. "Guess you're right," she sighed. "It's not like the others haven't seen things like this. Valtor took control of both yours and Stella's kingdoms. Aisha's home nearly got blown to kingdom come. I can't even count how many times Alfea has been under attack. It's a mess."

"Well, true, but sometimes change can also be for the better. Troglodytes got introduced to modern society. Domino was thawed. You know, cool stuff too," Sky tried.

Bloom fell silent for a moment again. "I suppose that's true, but sometimes..."
"BLOOM! SKY! COME DOWN HERE, NOW!" sounded Musa's enchanted voice.

The princess and the prince exchanged glances for a moment, before charging down a nearby staircase. They arrived to a quite unexpected scene.
Standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by fairies and soldiers ready to blow him apart, with the huddled people of the hall making sure to get some distance, was Nebula.

"Ah, you're all here. Good," he said, as he eyed Bloom and Sky. "That saves me the time of tracking you down."
"So, you here to throw down?" Techna asked, pipe and pistol ready. "Because I can do that."
"If you thought we were unprepared for being targeted, you are sorely mistaken," Flora sharply added.

It wasn't just the fairies and soldiers who were ready. Mike had grabbed his fire axe, Vanessa was brandishing a barstool rather threateningly, Jason had drawn a rifle from under the counter and Jack was ready to work the fairy general over with a monkey wrench.

"Relax, for this instance I am but a humble messenger," Nebula commented, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I come on behalf of my college, Aurora, the Fairy of the North. She wants me to relay her ultimatum. Surrender yourselves and all information you have on the Black Circle or else, there will be consequences."
Roxy's eyes narrowed. "What consequences?"
"It has already begun. I'm surprised you haven't noticed," Nebula replied innocently.

"Jason. The radio," Vanessa ordered.

"Gotcha," the Suit's leader replied, nimbly turning the machine on without ever taking his eyes of Nebula.

"And update on the situation in Europe," came the voice of the host. "The unnatural cold has enveloped most of France and southern England. Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway are also being affected, with extreme and sudden temperature drops. The military and national guards are being mobilized to assist the civilians affected by this development. Reports of strange groups who claim to have gathered under the banner of a group called the Black Circle have begun showing up in the affected areas, assisting the locals. Further information is currently not available."
"You what?" Musa asked, a faint scratching sound of static starting to build up around her.

"Me? Nothing," Nebula responded. "Aurora on the other hand is about to exterminate the population of Western Europe. I'd say you have at least a couple of days to figure out your response, but in the meantime people will be dying, which I gather you're rather opposed to. So I'd kindly suggest you get to figuring this dilemma out now." He waved at them. "Have fun." And then with a flash he was gone.

The group stood stunned for a moment.

"We need to contact the Black Circle," Brandon ordered. "Now."

….

Contacting the Black Circle was as easy as calling Mitzy's phone. Then all they had to do was wait five minutes for Anagan to show up in a blur. He had quickly explained that in response to Sibylla tracking them down, the Black Circle had relocated from their previous location and that he was to facilitate their instantaneous transportation to this new base.

Thus, with a flash of bright light, the group found themselves in what looked like the inside of a hangar.

"Smooth ride yet again," Musa remarked. "Why can't your rides be that comfortable, Stella?"
"Hey, I'm trying my best, okay," the blonde huffed.

"Come on, Cacophony, those rides are the best," Techna insisted.

"Perhaps some excitement can be found in them, but for these situations, I vastly prefer to arrive with a clear head," Flora said.

"Hear, hear," Timmy agreed.

"Ah, you have arrived," Ogron noted as he approached. "Excellent. Anagan, I will need you to return to Gardenia and pick up their family members."
"You got it, boss," Anagan responded, before zipping off.

"Our families?" Roxy asked, sounding worried.

"I will not lie, there is a significant risk that the White Circle might try to coerce you into surrendering by targeting your family members. I'd rather nip that particular problem in the proverbial bud before it becomes an issue," Ogron explained. "Now then, if you would please follow me."
The group exited the hangar. The structure was one of several, which in turn was surrounded by row after row of tanks.

"What is this place?" Brandon asked.

"Military surplus storage. We've commandeered it for now," Ogron explained. "It's in an easily defensible location, far enough away from civilization and plus, the military equipment stored here has been outdated for decades ever since it got mothballed. I doubt they will be all that bothered."
"And the people guarding the place?" Riven asked.

"Skeleton crew essentially. Two of them are members of the Black Circle now. The rest have agreed to cooperate. Against procedure I understand, but these are times of unusual circumstances," Ogron elaborated. "We have also had time to set up much more elaborate shielding, so it should be much harder for the White Circle to find us. We plan on moving family members and friends to this and similar bases to limit the White Circle's ability to take hostages."

"Okay, that's great and all. What about what's happening in Europe?" Roxy asked. "Nebula said it was under attack."
"Yes. The work of Aurora, grand strategist of the White Circle," Ogron elaborated. "She has initiated a powerful ritual to begin deep freezing the continent."
"And she wants us to surrender," Stella continued.

"Yes. I am not at all surprised," the redhead admitted. "We'll have to act fast. Fortunately, weather satellites have been able to track the origin of the cold weather formation, which also serves as the centre of the ritual. I doubt Aurora was prepared for us being able to locate her that quickly. Still, we'll have to act fast."
"So same thing as Diana then?" Nabu asked. "We bravely charge in and strike her down?"
"It might be a bit more complicated than that," the Black Circle leader admitted. "You see, reports from England and France indicate that Aurora has resurrected her frozen tower, a massive building with the capacity to fly. Suffice to say, it will be harder to assail, even without accounting for her minions."
"Sounds like my wingpacks could get useful here," Techna mentioned. "They are capable of being used in all kinds of weather."
"I see. Yes, that does sound like it would come in handy." Ogron paused. "Unfortunately, I am still limited in how much support I can lend you. Most of the Black Circle members who have received enough training to safely control their powers are currently doing all they can to mitigate the damage this sudden winter storm has wrought." He stroked his goatee contemplatively. "Fortunately, it being winter limits the damage somewhat, but only relatively. This incident will have an unfathomable cost to it, especially if we delay too long."

"Then we must do something now," Roxy insisted. "If there is..." Everything became dark for a second. The Earth fairy blinked. "Wait, what. I..." Her words devolved into a shriek as a sudden flare of pain jabbed her mind.

"Roxy, what's wrong?" Brandon asked, as the pink-haired fairy fell on her knees.

"My head," she groaned. "It feels like..." Another white-hot bolt of pain seared through her mind.

"Something is trying to force its way into her mind. Our protective spells are interfering," Ogron said, as he hurried over. He placed a hand on Roxy's head and focused, sensing the tendrils of energy trying to dig in. He gritted his teeth and focused on them, sucking their energy into himself. Seconds later, the spell stopped and the energy faded. "There," he breathed as he let go of the pink-haired girl. "I suspect that was Morgana trying to contact you. The pain was due to her attempting to brute force her way in. Our protective spells must have surprised her. She will probably try sometime again soon."
"I hope not. Had enough of that crazy woman for a lifetime," Roxy groaned, rubbing her temples. "Can I get a glass of water, please?"

...

Minutes later, the group found themselves situated in a dining hall, eating while waiting for Ogron to finalise the plan for taking on Aurora. Roxy gently moved a piece of potato mash back and forth, deep in thought.

"You should eat," Brandon advised her. "You'll need the energy."
"I know," the pink-haired girl replied. "I just... It's the waiting. It's uncomfortable."
"Reminds me back when the Usurpers tried to take over things," Stella commented. "Locked up in the school, waiting for things to happen."
"That was uncomfortable, yes," Musa agreed.

"But you're gonna regret it if you don't eat, trust me," Riven added. "Or at least ask Gantlos to pack some for the journey if you really can't get it down now, because you will get hungry."

"No, no, I'll eat," Roxy replied, before eating a piece of meatball.

Gantlos made his way over with two more dishes of potato mash and meatballs, handing them over to Aisha and Riven. "Here you go. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."

"Thanks," Riven said and took a bite. "Mm, that's some good stuff you've made here. Good job."
"Thanks," Gantlos replied, tipping his hat before returning to the kitchen.

The group continued to eat in silence for a while. But their quiet enjoyment of their dinner was interrupted by a beeping sound from Techna's pocket.

"Somebody is calling you?" Timmy asked surprised.

"No, not exactly," the scarred girl replied, fishing a mobile phone-esque device out of her pocket. "I just set this up to passively... Dragon's scaly ass, I actually expected it to be a bug. Hang on, give me a second." She started fiddling with the device, as the others looked on nervously. "Hello. Hello, can you hear me?"

"We're reading you, loud and... Almost clear," came a voice from the device. "This is the Roccalucian scouting ship A-38. Who am I talking with?"
Techna paused for a bit, before sighing and replying with: "You're speaking with Pollyana 'Techna' Clearwater. I guess you've heard of me."

"Techna. Yes, you and your friends fell off the radar," the voice replied. "What's the situation?"
"We're all okay," Brandon said, as he borrowed the device. "And we're all in good health. However, the situation is critical. We've freed the White Circle from imprisonment, but that turned out to be a mistake. They have initiated a massive campaign against the population of Earth. Civilian and military casualties are mounting. We need all the help we can get and as soon as possible."
"Alright. We'll bring this information back," the voice assured them. "The realms have agreed to initiate military intervention. This information will help us to know what to expect. Stay safe. We'll try to contact you later." Then the device went quiet.

"I thought the White Circle had sealed us off," Aisha stated.

"From contacting other worlds," Techna clarified. "My device scanned for signals in case they made their way across."
"But if they are only sending scout ships across, then they are probably not ready to send in larger forces anytime soon," Riven commented. "Not surprising. The sheer amount of magical energy necessary to bring an army across is hard to gather unless actual gateways have been built."
"So reinforcements are essentially stuck in transit. Great," Musa commented. "I suppose then we'll have to deal with things until they can get over here."
"Sure looks like it," Riven affirmed.

It was at that moment that the sound of barking filled the air. Roxy looked around in confusion, before a smile manifested on her face and she jumped out of her chair with an enthusiastic: "Artu."

The bloodhound happily ran up to its owner, barking and jumping up to lick her face.

Moments after, Klaus ran into the room, looking slightly winded. "I knew..." he hoarsely began, as he stumbled over. "I knew he'd be able to find you."
"Dad. I'm so happy to see you," the pink-haired girl said and ran over, giving the man a hug.

"I'm happy to see you too," he responded. "Listen now, we're gonna be safe here according to those guys, so we should stay put until this whole thing blows over."
Roxy seemed to freeze for a moment, before sighing and pushing herself away from her father. "I'm sorry, Dad," she said sadly. "I can't do that."
Klaus blinked. "What?"
"I can't just stay here," Roxy continued. "I have powers. I can help. In fact, I've helped several times already. I can't just stay here while everything falls apart."
"I, ehm... But Roxy," Klaus tried. "Listen, things out there are really dangerous. You've already risked yourself so many times now. Isn't it about time you stop and let the professionals handle this?"
The pink-haired girl chewed on her lip.

"It's your choice," Brandon remarked. "If you wish to stay, we'll respect it."
"Indeed. You do not owe us your assistance," Flora affirmed.

Roxy paused. "Thanks. But I can't just stand around doing nothing. Not until I've done everything I can."
"Roxy, this really isn't our war," Klaus tried.

His daughter replied with: "Isn't it? The White Circle is willing to attack everyone, regardless of whether they are allied with the Black Circle right now. They are destroying Europe as we speak, all to get to us. We can't not be involved, Dad. The White Circle would go for us if they thought it would gain them anything. Nobody's safe."
"Well, maybe, eh, that's painting a bit of a grim picture," Klaus tried.

"Grim, yes. Also, real," Riven added. "Look, maybe it didn't look so bad from the Dance Hall, but trust me, shit is going down."
"And the White Circle is as ruthless as Roxy is saying," Bloom agreed.

"Yeah. Doubt there's anything they wouldn't pull to win," Musa commented.

"And that's why I have to fight," Roxy insisted. "I have to help people."
Klaus looked exceedingly conflicted. "I suppose then that... I can't stop you," he sighed. "I'd have preferred if you'd just have stayed here but... I just... I don't understand why..."
"Because the White Circle are ready to burn down everything I care about just to win," Roxy replied. "Doesn't that bother you?"
Klaus looked a bit dumbstruck for a moment.

"I know it's hard to think of it like that," Nabu added. "But I doubt the White Circle will just let things be. Diana herself seemed ready to tear down every city she deemed unnecessary. It's gonna be real bad if they take charge."
"Yes... I... Well..." Klaus tried.

At that moment, Ogron stepped in. "Transport to England is ready. We move in five minutes, so finish up your dinners."
"Will do. Sorry, Dad," Roxy said, as she hurried over to finish her food. "You take care of Artu while I'm away."
"Okay. I... Guess I'll do that," the shocked bar owner replied.

...

There was a bright flash of light and then the girls, boys and Ogron manifested on a private airfield by London.

"Solaris, it's cold here," Stella immediately said, wrapping her arms around her torso. "I-I thought these clothes were supposed to be warm."
"They are," Timmy said, checking his thermometer. "But even isolating cloth will have trouble keeping up with minus thirty degrees Celsius."

"Indeed," Ogron agreed, sounding like he was struggling to not start clattering his teeth. "We have secured an airplane for your group." He pointed at a nearby, rather plain looking medium-sized aircraft. "Unfortunately, neither I nor my comrades will be able to assist you in person. This sudden attack has drained us of what resources we have managed gather." He handed a piece of paper over to Brandon. "These are the coordinates we have tracked Aurora to. We have little intelligence beyond this to offer, so you will have to improvise."
"We... We understand," Brandon replied, struggling to breathe the icy air. "Thanks for the support."
"Best of luck to you all," the Black Circle leader told them. "Now, you'll have to excuse me. I'll have to meet up with our allies here in London to coordinate our efforts." With that, the redhead hurried off.

"Let's get inside before we turn into snowmen," Roxy gasped. "I really don't want to catch frostbite."

"Sounds like an idea to me," Aisha agreed.

They hustled into the airplane, eager to be away from the biting wind.

"Alright, so..." Bloom began, as they settled down. "Can anyone actually pilot this thing?"
"Of course," Techna said with a wide smile. "I can pilot just about anything."
"And that leads us to the next issue," Brandon said. "We have two wingpacks and as far as we have planned, that'll allow us to drop some people in while the rest land. But obviously, if Techna is piloting she can't also use a wingpack."
"I'll do it," Timmy offered. "I've helped her do some of the design, programming and testing. So I know how they work."
"And I retain my knowledge of how to use these devices," Flora added. "So I shall assist."

"Good. Glad that's settled. Techna, let's get moving," the brunette squad leader ordered.

"Roger that," the scarred girl eagerly replied and jumped into the pilot's seat, letting her magic flow into the vehicle. Seconds later, the engines roared to life and soon after, they were airborne. As they ascended, many of the passengers looked out at the windows at the landscape below. Snow covered most of the city and the sea surrounding London had frozen over completely.

"It's like watching pictures of the polar regions," Roxy mused. "Except instead of being beautiful, it's scary."

"Hey, Timmy. Mind giving me a hand figuring out where we're going?" Techna asked, steering with one hand and checking the coordinates with another. "Not really sure how this all fits together and I'd rather not be going the wrong way."
"Coming," the bespectacled sniper said, as he moved into the chair besides her.

"So now we play the waiting game, I suppose," Riven said and leaned back in his seat.

"Don't get too complacent. I don't think we have to go that far," Brandon said.

Flakes of snow pelted the windows as they kept flying across the frozen wasteland.

Techna, who was busy enjoying getting to know the aeroplane better, suddenly noticed something. She focused, trying to figure out what it was. "Hey. I think we're getting something over the radio," she noted and focused. "It's faint, but I think I can..."
"This is the cargo ship Atlas," came a male voice from the radio. "Can anyone read me. We're stuck in the ice and there are... There are things prowling around. We need help, immediately."
"We're reading you." Timmy replied as he fiddled with the radio and microphone. "Hello, can you hear me?"
"Somewhat," came the voice.

"Hang in there, we will assist as soon as possible," the sharpshooter said. "Techna, can you get us a bead on these guys?"

"Yeah. I'm certain they're pretty close. I think their radio equipment might be slightly fried," Techna noted, as she scouted out the window. "They have to be pretty close."
"Any assistance will be..." the man on the radio continued, but was cut off by the sound of glass breaking, followed by yelling and the sound of a violent scuffle.

"Dragon's breath, where the fuck are they?" Techna hissed, as she strained to see through the snow.

"There. I see them," Musa said, pointing out the window.

"So do I," Flora noted, throwing on her wingpack. "We need to act now."
"See ya on the flipside," Riven noted, as the brunette jumped out, shortly thereafter followed by Timmy.

Flora dove straight through the cold air, ski glasses protecting her eyes from the sharp flakes of snow and the bitter wind. As she homed in on the massive cargo ship stuck in the ice, she could see a man stumble out of the bridge. He was dressed in thick winter clothes and was clearly wounded, bleeding profusely from one of his arms, staining the snow-covered deck crimson.

And then she noted his pursuers. Ice imps.

Flora adjusted her position and opened the wings, braking her fall.

The man stumbled and fell down a slippery metal staircase. He gasped as he tried to push himself up and turned around. The frozen monster was closing in on him. He desperately pushed himself back, trying to get away from the being, but the imp kept stalking closer, its claws red from the injury it had inflicted. It got ready to jump and the man raised his good arm, screaming in fear.

That's when Flora landed on the monster, driving her machete into its head. "Are you okay?" she inquired, as she withdrew her weapon from the defeated construct.

"Ab... Ahm... I..." the man tried, flabbergasted.

"Ah, excuse me," Flora interrupted and turned around, getting ready to face the imp's companions. "I will handle this." One leapt forward and Flora danced to the side, bisecting it with a swing. She moved again, decapitating another attacker, before swirling to the side to slash open a third attacker. However, a fourth imp had closed in and tried to jump her mid-swing, hoping to catch her between attacks.

A loud bang rang through the crisp air and the thing's head exploded.

Flora looked up. Timmy hovered over the ship, rifle in his hand. He quickly started aiming for new targets, each shot pulverising one of the frozen creatures.

Not far from the ship, Techna managed to land the plane on the uneven ice.

"Alright, lets join the party," Riven said, as he jumped out. "What are we up against?"
Brandon squinted as he stepped out, eyeing several approaching shapes that had noted the group's landing. "Ice imps," he noted. "That we can deal with." He hoisted his own blade as the creatures closed in. Using his whole body, he cleaved through the first rank of attackers, slicing through three of them.

Bloom leapt forward, letting her dragonflame ignite. She gathered her power and flung a fireball at an approaching group. It detonated, shattering the imps and the ice they stood on, briefly showering the area in briny water.

Riven spun between opponents, his blade slicing through their frozen limbs and bodies, scattering them in a shower of parts. Two of them leapt at him and he prepared to counter them. Then he noticed they just kinda hung in the air. He looked to the side, noticing Aisha, who was holding out her hands. Then she closed them into a fist. There was a loud crunch as the two imps collapsed into themselves.

"Brutal," the soldier noted approvingly. "But efficient."

Back at the airplane, Roxy and Mirta peeked out the window at the unfolding battle, as Techna sat by the open door, twirling her pistol.

"So," the Earth fairy began. "What are those again?"
"Ice imps. Sort of magically created beings, often used as cannon fodder," Mirta explained. "There's a couple of different varieties. Fire, storm, stone. Illusions don't really do a lot, so I don't think I can help."
"It's okay. I think we can allow ourselves to be on the sideline for this one," Roxy said.

They looked up as they heard a strange metallic clicking.

"What now?" Techna asked and looked up. At that moment, an ice imp jumped down from the airplane's roof, aiming for her. The scarred girl yelped and rolled back onto her back, as the icy monster landed claws first in front of her. She unfolded her body like a spring, kicking the imp in its stomach and launching it away. It rolled around a couple of times before correcting itself and leaping at the magenta-haired girl. Its attack was stopped when Techna smashed her pipe down into its head with both her hands, pummelling it into the ice. She brought the pipe down a couple more times, nudged the creature with her foot, then smashed it again for good measure.

Sky held one of the beasts back with his shield, before jamming his sword into its midsection. He kicked it away and turned to face another, crashing his shield edge first into its head.

"You know," Stella began, as she walked up beside him. "I'm gonna go, like, check up with Flora and Timmy and see if they're okay."
"Sounds like a plan. We'll make our way up there. Soon as we've dealt with these guys," the crown prince replied.

Stella nodded and focused. Suddenly, faster than anyone could see, she transformed into light and moved onto the ship, having gotten there in seemingly an instant. She looked around, noting several ice imp limbs lying about. "Huh. Maybe they're tots handling it." She could hear combat in the distance and followed it, soon finding Flora busy both fighting off imps and trying to keep the radio operator from bleeding out. Stella pointed her staff and fired a searing beam, slicing a couple of imps in half.
"Good to see you, Stella," Flora said, as she noticed the blonde. "Could you please fend of these beings while I properly bandage this man's wounds?"
"Can do," Stella replied, as she began firing blasts of concentrated sunlight at her opponents.

Shortly thereafter, the battle was over.

"Well, that was quite the workout," Musa noted while packing her flute away, as she and the others walked onboard the Atlas. "Almost enough to make me forget how cold it is."

As they wandered onto the deck, they could see several other people emerging from the ship, clad in warm clothes.

"Hello, I'm James Conway," said one man, wearing a captain's hat and a massive orange beard . "I'm the captain of this ship. I thank you for the assistance."
"We're happy to help," Brandon said. "How is the situation?"
"Well, we have supplies and such to last, for some days," the captain replied. "We've kept the engine running to keep out this damnable cold. But we probably need to be evacuated soon."
"Unfortunately, we really don't have anything we can spare you, resource wise," Riven noted. "Nor can we fly you back to land."
"I understand," James replied. "You've already done more than enough."
"But maybe not all we could do," Techna noted. "See, we only caught your cry for help because we got close. I think your radio is a bit on the fritz. If I can fix that, you should be able to get help." She smirked. "And trust me, I have yet to meet the machine I couldn't fix."
"You have, however, met plenty of machines you could blow up," Musa dryly noted.

"Hey, I'm not going to overclock it or anything," the scarred girl replied defensively.

...

Having left the crew of the Atlas much safer and with a much more functional radio, the group continued on towards the eye of the storm.

"Are we getting any closer?" Musa impatiently asked.

"Hang on a second, let me consult my map," Techna responded and turned to Timmy. "Are we getting any closer?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. We should be able to see the structure Ogron referred to very soon," the bespectacled sniper noted.

Techna looked over her shoulder. "My map says we should be..."
"I heard him," Musa cut her off, rolling her eyes.

"I hate missions like these," Riven grumpled. "Rushing in without intel. Makes me feel... Vulnerable."
"Yeah. Like when we had to get into Shadowhaunt," Helia mentioned. "Boy, was that ever a mess." He rubbed his ribs, remembering the experience. "I still occasionally jump around there in my nightmares. Except I tend to miss the ship."

"Yeah. That was a crazy stunt," Sky added. "I still say I could have landed in the lake."
"At which point you would most likely have been swarmed by Darkar's minions," Flora commented.

"Point."

"Ehm, guys. Think I found it," Techna slowly said, staring out the front window. "And if it's not, then I have some questions."
The others ran up to the front of the plane, staring at what Techna had seen. A massive castle carved from pure ice hovered in the air, a beam of freezing cold blasting from its bottom into the ocean below.

"That's the place. No doubt about it," Brandon commented.

"Yeah. I can feel the magic radiating off it," Mirta agreed.

"Think we can land on it?" Sky inquired. "It has sort of a... Well, it's sorta on an island like thing. Some flattish space. Could work."

"Well, we'll know in a few seconds," Techna noted and steered the airplane closer. Slowly, the vehicle lowered towards the frozen ground. The tires squealed and the entire thing began shaking as it jumped across the ice.
"Th-th-this is-is real-really un-un-comfor-for-fortable," Roxy managed to say, holding onto her seat for dear life.

"Tech-Techna," Aisha tried, staring out the front window. "That's-that's the edge. We-we're getting clo-close to the ed-ed-edge."
"Yeah. I-I noti-ticed," Techna replied nonchalant.

"Hit the brakes," Musa ordered, eyes widening. "HIT THE FUCKING BRAKES!"
"I AM!"

"I can't look," Sky gulped and ducked behind his seat.

With a final rumble, the vehicle came to a standstill at the edge, a few shards of ice plummeting into the frozen ocean several dozens of metres below.

"Cutting it real close there," Brandon breathed, as he released the door from his death grip.

"Look, what are you all so worried about? If I actually had plummeted off the edge, I would just have kickstarted the engine again," Techna said exasperated. "Come on, have some faith."
"I do have faith," Stella said, a notable shade paler than usual. "And I'll praise Solaris for keeping me alive on this day."

Slowly, the group exited the plane. Outside, the thin, cold air assaulted them once again, as they stared across the snowy expanse that surrounded the central structure.

"Sha-shall we ge-get moving?" Nabu inquired. "It mi-might be sli-slightly warmer on-on the insi-si-side."

"I approve of that... That statement," Flora stated stoically, arms wrapped around her body.

The group started making their way towards the building, leaving a notable trail in the thick layer of snow. However, they had barely made it halfway there when they noticed several shapes in the distance.

"Great. More imps," Riven commented, drawing his sword.

"Wait, I don't think that's just imps. Those look a bit too large," Timmy added, raising his rifle. "Give me a moment and I'll... Oh. Okay, ehm, Bloom. Do you know any predatory animal of Earth that's big, white, furry and probably adapted to the cold?"
"You're kidding. They're sending a polar bear against us?" Roxy asked.

"Nope. Several," the sniper explained. "And they look ready to fight."

"More animals used as weapons. It does seem to be one of their favoured tactics," Flora mused. "Are these ones mutated too?"
"Doesn't look like it," Timmy replied.

"They don't really need to make polar bears worse to make them effective," Bloom commented. "They're plenty dangerous as is."
"But then we know how to counter it," Roxy stated, as the enemy came closer and closer. "If I can undo the spell, then maybe we can get them to attack the imps."
"But this isn't just a single animal. There's a lot of them," Brandon informed her. "You might not yet have the skills to affect so many at once."
"Maybe not. But I'll give it my best," Roxy said, before closing her eyes, letting her magic flow across the area. She could sense the many bears, each one of them ensnared by magic to obey. Roxy frowned. She wouldn't have time to undo the magic one bear at the time. She would have to undo two dozens of them at the time. Channelling her magic into each one, she tried to focus on each one simultaneously, trying to mirror what she did among all the bears. She could almost hear her mind creak like a wooden boat in a storm as she strained herself, willing herself to undo the spell. She was rewarded by the sound of roaring. She opened her eyes. The bears had suddenly fallen upon the imps and the advancing line collapsed into infighting.

"She did it," Bloom exclaimed jubilantly.

"Good work, Roxy," Brandon said and placed a hand on the Earth fairy's shoulder, causing her to collapse into the snow.

"Is she okay?" Stella asked concerned.

"No. She has spent too much power," Flora said, as she slung the barely conscious fairy over her shoulder. "But we need to move now if we want to take advantage of the confusion."

"Right you are," Brandon agreed. "Everyone, forward, now."
The group broke into a charge, Aisha, Bloom and Stella quickly using their magic to move or dissolve the snow to allow a speedy passage. A few imps broke off from the suddenly quite angry bears, but were easily dispatched by the group. Finally, they charged into a tunnel in the side of the frozen building.

"Okay. Okay, we're inside," Sky gasped. "So, what's next?"
"We really don't have much choice but to move forward, do we?" Techna asked. "Unless you want to go outside to look for the door that says 'Fairy General's Bedroom'."

"I doubt there's such a door to find," Timmy stated. "No, I'd guess based on previous patterns that this general is somewhere in the middle of the complex."

The group continued down the frozen tunnel, surrounded by the gleaming ice. Soon thereafter, the found themselves faced with a Y junction.

"Okay then, left or right?" Riven inquired.

"Musa, do you think you could get us a hint of what to expect?" Flora asked.

"I'll do my best," Musa said and concentrated. She paused. "Oh, well, crap. We're about to have company."

"What kind of company?" Sky asked, drawing his weapons.

"I think it's more imps following us, with a group of fairies coming in from the right," Musa explained. "They'll be here in a few seconds."
"A pincer attack," Riven stated.

"They probably wanted to catch us in the tunnel," Sky said. "Let's hurry down the left tunnel, if they catch up to us, at least we'll have them on one side."

The group hurried down the selected tunnel, even as they heard the sound of running feet and clattering claws behind them. Soon after, an L junction was upon them.

"Should we go right or go on ahead?" Aisha asked.

"Well, let's take a gander down the side path," Nabu suggested and peaked. He quickly pulled his head back to avoid an icicle hurled by a squad of approaching white-clad fairies. "Well, that path does not seem so friendly."
"They're trying to surround us again," Riven commented.
"Yeah, and they're still coming in from behind," Musa noted.

"Then let's move," Stella said, as the group hurried on.

Only to find themselves at a T junction.

"Feel like I'm running through the alphabet," Bloom sighed.

"And they're still pursuing us. I think everyone in the castle is following us by now," Musa remarked.

"And we've got more imps coming in from the left," Helia informed the group, as he looked around the corner.

"Then let's keep moving," Brandon ordered, as the group ran right.

"Oh, my head," Roxy groaned. "Could someone remind me what is going on?"
"You overexerted yourself. We made it inside. Now everyone and their grandmother is chasing us down," Riven said. "Does any of that ring a bell?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Like, what if they are chasing us into a dead end?" Stella asked, as the group rushed down the tunnel.

"Then we still only have to fight them in one direction," Sky remarked.

"Though it does look like there is a room of some sort ahead," Flora informed the others, eyeing the end of the tunnel ahead.

The group stormed into the room and paused. It was big, the ceiling at least three or four floors above them. Glowing crystals illuminated the room, revealing the furniture, which consisted of throne, chairs and tables, all formed from the surrounding ice.

"Well, this looks important," Brandon remarked. "Aisha, I have an idea. Seal the..." He paused, noting that the tunnel they had entered through had vanished. "Well, that was quick."
"Thanks," Aisha replied. "But, ehm, I didn't actually do anything."
The squire sighed. "Yeah, I was afraid you would say that. Had a feeling those guys were herding us straight towards Aurora."

"If you felt it was an obvious trap, why trigger it?" the white-clad fairy general asked, as she walked out from behind her frozen throne. "Seems to be a less than brilliant idea."
"So was getting crushed between two hostile forces in a narrow hallway," Flora remarked, as she gently put Roxy down.

"I see."
"So," Roxy commented a bit dizzily, as she steadied herself. "You're the maniac responsible for the current situation."
"If you are referring to the freezing spell slowly enveloping Europe, then yes, that was my creation," Aurora said, as she sat down in her throne. "What of it?"
"What of it? What of it?" Roxy repeated flabbergasted. "You're harming or outright killing hundreds of people. The ecological damage alone is mind-blowing. That's what is of it."

"Yes. It is a rather excessive plan, but your group have more than earned such ire, taking down Diana and coming quite close to doing the same to Sibylla," Aurora remarked. "Of course, if it is any consolation, once you've been either beaten or killed the spell will be ended."

"That a fact?" Sky asked.

"Indeed. A frozen wasteland is not in our best interest," the fairy strategist replied as she steepled her fingers. "Your reaction to such an attack, however, was."
Brandon's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
"Simple. It is all about pattern recognition. Both times the White Circle have launched major attacks, you have responded with targeted strikes against the leadership. The bigger the crisis, the greater the response," Aurora explained. "Of course, I admit that two times is not the biggest sample pool to work with, but I was sure the sheer magnitude of this spell would cause you to come running. Either that or you would have to surrender. Both options fit into my design."
"And what if we had just, you know, not cared?" Techna asked.

"Well, that would have ruined my plans. Fortunately, you do."

"So, now what? Do you think you can take us on?" Riven asked. "Because that did not go well for your two friends."
"Oh, I am well aware of that. I have no intentions of underestimating you," Aurora said. "Diana and Sibylla were convinced of their superiority. I, however, do not consider myself invincible. Now, I do have the advantage of favourable environment and superior numbers once I can get my forces in here, but the same was true for Diana and Sibylla. You are all resourceful, strategic and very stubborn. Admiral traits. But it also means you aren't pushovers and I risk a lot engaging you in direct combat."

The group looked at each other.

"Okay then. But you're not going to surrender either I take it?" Musa asked.

Aurora shrugged. "I really don't have any reason to."

"You don't? Sorry, but have you seen what your side is up to?" Roxy asked. "Do you have any idea how many people have died so far?"
"No. Though Diana's and Sibylla's obsession with punishing the common folk has always struck me as pointless," Aurora remarked thoughtfully. "I'd much rather go after military and industrial targets to minimize the amount of effort I need to invest in a campaign. Or perhaps you are arguing from a moral position? In that case, I'd like to point out that our actions are for preserving our way of life, which the Black Circle intends to destroy. Surely, we have the right to defend ourselves?"
"How is ripping apart the American west coast defending yourself?" Bloom angrily asked.

"I suppose that was considered a pre-emptive strike, but as I've already said, one that I personally find pointless," the white-clad fairy remarked. "But it doesn't matter now. What matters is that our efforts will be significantly easier with your lot out of the picture. Now then, I take it you're not surrendering either."
The group responded by drawing their weapons and charging their magic.

"As I guessed," Aurora continued. "But you see, I have no intentions of fighting you. In fact, the only reason I have bothered talking so much with you is that my men needed time to get clear of the castle. Goodbye." With those words, she sunk into the ice behind her.
"What did she mean by that?" Sky asked.

"That we're in deep shit I take it," Techna remarked.

Suddenly, vertigo struck as they could feel the entire structure plummet.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Roxy yelled, as she struggled to keep her footing.

"SHE'S SCUTTLING THE ENTIRE BUILDING!" Brandon yelled. "HOLD ON!"