The wooden cart groaned and creaked as Ron Wolfborn pulled it, slightly readjusting the thick leather straps over his shoulders . The sky was already starting to get lighter in the east, the stars slowly fading.

Caithe had fallen into a quick step next to him, tired of sitting on the bumpy cart. Her legs were sore from riding it. Faolain lay sprawled out over the cart now, leaning one arm over the edge so that she could rest her head and look at the lightening sky. She had gone from miserable to moody to quiet, and just seemed to be suffering from hurt pride now. She would be better soon.

'So, mister Wolfborn,' Caithe started, and the man burst out a half laugh, half cough.

'Call me Ron,' he said, taking a gulp from a flask at his hip. Caithe nodded, and happily continued, 'So, Ron. What exactly did you bring this cart to Divinity's Reach for?'

'I am a travelling merchant, and a hunter, like all Norn,' Ron began. Caithe mentally noted the word Norn and found it very fitting. 'I hunt the beasts of the shiverpeaks. I sell what's usable and eat what's edible. Knut likes to come along once in a while. He's one of the ministers, but he's a hunter at heart.' Ron shook his head, laughing. 'If only he'd just put his heart in his job. He could be ruler of Hoelbrak, you know.'

'Following your heart is not an unwise thing to do.' Caithe answered. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to Faolain, who stared off into the distance. The air had gotten colder slowly but steadily, and the landscape was turning white. Clouds gathered overhead, and soft flakes of snow started dazing down.

Faolain was startled from her ponderings when a snowflake landed on her arm. She turned her head to look at it, then carefully picked it up. It melted between her fingers. As more flakes began to fall, she looked up in wonder. She tried to catch them, but they vanished as soon as they touched her skin. The ones on her dress did not melt immediately, and she carefully lifted her skirt to inspect them.

'Caithe?' The other had also caught a few, but they had melted instantly. She came walking over to Faolain, who held up part of her skirt, showing her the snowflakes. She smiled widely.

'Look at how beautiful they are! They are like.. tiny cold crystals!' Caithe stared in awe, a big smile on her face.

'Hey, you captured them!'

'They turn into water if you touch them, right?' Caithe's eyes sparkled. Knut Whitebear came walking over, a dead hare on his shoulder.

'Ladies have never seen the snow before?' The Sylvari shook their heads. Knut laughed. 'Just you wait. By midday, we'll be knee-deep in snow. Let's see if you still like it then!'

.

Knut was right. Before the sun had reached its full height the snow had covered the land in a thick white blanket. The temperature had dropped considerably, making their breaths visible in the air. Both Ron and Knut held one strap of the cart now, pulling it through the thick, frosty snow. The cart had been loaded up with various dead animals. Both Sylvari had decided to walk the rest of the way, as it was the easiest way to keep warm.

Caithe looked around, wide eyed. The land was unlike anything she had ever seen before. They had been climbing since morning, and now the view showed giant mountains rising from the depths, their white peaks at eye level. It was as if she could see the end of the world from here.

Ron gestured towards the east. 'There, over that mountain, is Hoelbrak. Built in a valley between two mountains.' Caithe peered into the mist. 'I don't see it..'

'You can't see it yet, we're too far away. You're lucky you're with us, you wouldn't want to get lost in these lands. There's ettins everywhere and the Sons of Svanir have been restless too, lately.'

'If anyone had been here, they would have been easy to track, right?' Faolain asked. Ron nodded, 'For now. Trails are visible until it starts snowing again. Once that happens...' he trailed off. Caithe looked at him concernedly.

'Then what?' Ron laughed again and patted her on her head. 'Well miss, if you get caught in a snowstorm, you had better find a cave than worry about your trails!'

'Halt!' Knut suddenly whispered, holding out his hand and standing perfectly still. Caithe and Faolain stopped too, looking around. Caithe's hand hovered over her dagger. The cart came to a grinding stop. Then it was eerily silent.

For a moment, there was only the sound of their breathing. Then suddenly, behind them, the frozen ground began to groan and crack. Caithe yelped as she looked over her shoulder and readied her weapons. A creature, taller than either of the two Norns, made out of pointy ice loomed behind them, not twenty metres away. Behind it, another such creature rose from the frosted ground. The first took a slow, heavy step towards them - and then broke into a loose run.

'Fall back!' Knut roared, as he and Ron pushed the Sylvari to the front of the cart and stood defensively before them, shielding them from the charging elemental. Knut pulled his sword, as Ron wielded an axe and a burning torch. 'From the side!' Ron shouted. They charged to either side of the elemental and shattered it with their synchronized attack.

The other elemental let out a howling sound, like wind moaning around old buildings. Suddenly the ground around them began to move and rubble again, and more elementals got up from their icy sleep. Ron gritted his teeth.

'So many..' Caithe suddenly felt warmth against her back. Faolain had purple aura's floating around her hands.

'I've got your back, Caithe.' Faolain said, with determination in her voice. Caithe nodded and readied her daggers. Then she charged forward and sliced at an elemental. It lunged at her, but she rolled out of the way. It had a shallow scratch on its shoulder, but was otherwise unharmed. She jumped and slashed at it again - this time making a deep scratch over its chest.

The creature roared and swung a giant arm at her. Just before it hit, Caithe was pushed out of the way by a slightly translucent Faolain - that was controlled by the real Faolain, who stood safely out of reach. Then Faolain moved her arms and cast a signet on the ground, purple light appearing and glowing around the elemental. The beast roared, but was pinned in place.

Caithe took her opportunity and jumped up, plunging both her daggers into the elemental's chest. Then she twisted them and pulled them out with a sickening crack. The ice shattered and fell down into a massive heap. Behind her, Faolain let another one shatter with a flick of her hand. The elementals just kept coming.

Caithe backed up, finding Faolain. They were both breathing hard. 'There's too many,' Faolain said, holding the elementals off with shields of purple.

'We need a plan,' Caithe answered, trying to regain her breath. Faolain blasted a shockwave to throw back the elementals, and buy them some precious time.

'I can shatter them with one attack. I just need them to stand still for a few moments,' Caithe thought frantically. Faolain thought for a moment, then braced herself against the frozen ground.

'I will distract them. Go, as quickly as you can!' As she spoke, she whirled her hands and formed several clones of herself, that ran towards the elementals. The beasts seemed confused for a moment, then each began attacking their own clone. Caithe charged at her foes, and shattered the first. The next two elementals saw her a second too late and went down as well.

Faolain kept conjuring and puppeteering her clones, dancing around to dodge the ranged attacks. Suddenly a loud thump and a wet cracking noise sliced the air, followed by a howl of pain. Ron flew two metres back, his arm twisted behind him. Faolain's eyes widened and she lost concentration for a moment. The clones flickered and froze, almost disappearing. Caithe had been mid-jump when an elemental suddenly shifted his attention to her and smacked her away. The air was smashed out of her when she hit the hard ground.

With a snap Faolain was back in the fight, and her clones started moving again. She ran over to stand in front of Caithe protectively, but the elementals had noticed a difference between her and the clones, and started running in her direction. Caithe desperately tried to catch her breath, her hands clutching her chest. Five elementals charged at them, breathing ice and breaking the ground with their massive feet.

From the corner of her eye Caithe saw Knut standing beside Ron, who'd gotten up. Then her head snapped upwards again as they were slowly being cornered. Then the first elemental before them poised to strike. Caithe screamed Faolain's name as suddenly purple magic overtook her vision. Faolain had crossed her arms in a large, sweeping gesture, with gritted teeth and blazing eyes.

The creatures stood like statues. Then, they sank through their giant legs and shattered at Faolain's feet. Caithe got up with wide eyes as Faolain let out a shaking breath. They exchanged one look, one look of warm feelings and thanks and relief, then Caithe grabbed Faolain's hand and they ran to the last six elementals cornering the Norn.

'Just give us an opening!' Ron bellowed over the roars of the monsters. Caithe charged in as Faolain conjured up new clones. The elementals were quickly confused, not sure whom to give priority to. Caithe shattered an elemental in the middle, and that was all the Norn needed. Knut swung his weapon, knocking the elementals back. With two large steps he picked up Caithe and rolled over to where Faolain was, leaving Ron with the elementals. Ron waited for the exact moment, a small smile playing over his features. Then he grabbed his torch and blew, a blazing stream of fire over all the elementals, melting them instantly.

Knut held the Sylvari close to the ground, out of range of the fireblast, until Ron lowered his torch, and took a deep breath.

'We got them.'

.

In another place, night had just begun to fall. Three stone pyramids were suspended in the air, held up by powerstone magic, and connected by translucent bridges. There were several floors, and in the middle of the three pyramids a deep ravine lay, so deep that one could not see the bottom, only white mist in the deeps. It was the city of Rata Sum, home to the asura.

In the northernmost pyramid was a lab. To get there one had to go down many flights of stairs, deeper, ever deeper into the inverted pyramid. In the lowest chambers, where only artificial light was, and the door had double locks, one single low steel table stood in a locked room. A cabinet next to it, containing glowing vials and various tools, was its only company.

On the table lay an unconscious figure. His handsome face had the eyes closed, the brows furrowed in a pained look. His hands were strapped above his head, locked with metal locks and connected to the table. A removable mask covered his head. His legs were chained to the table as well, one stretched out, one propped up. The only sign that he was alive was the shallow movement of his chest.

An asura with sharp eyes and pointy teeth opened the doubly locked door, and closed it off behind him as soon as he had entered. He walked over to the table, sniffed, then wrote something down on a clipboard. He started prodding and poking the figure, but it did not respond. He tugged the leafy legs roughly, banging the feet against the table, and watching the unmoving figure for a moment. He scribbled something else down.

'Assistant 8, lab 34, Subject 86g. I need my vials prepared,' the asura said into an earpiece, and a affirmative response answered. Then the asura turned, put the clipboard down on the table and started gathering tools in the cabinet. The door creaked and a slender, small Asura with red eyes entered.

'Close the door behind you.' The first snapped. The assistant jumped a bit and then hurried to close the door behind her. 'Y-yes master Kudu.' 'Get to work!' Kudu hissed, and she ran towards the cabinet, quickly sorting the vials and loading up syringes.

Kudu walked over to the table and slowly removed the mask, revealing the face of a Sylvari. He prodded the high cheekbones, then sighed.

'He's still out cold. We'll do the other vial first.' The assistant swallowed audibly, quickly changing out vials and making sure she had the right ones.

'Master?' she squeaked, 'Do we need the Wurm specific vial or do we use the general one?' Her hands shook lightly.

'Does this look like a jungle Wurm to you?' Kudu asked, a sneer in his voice.

'N-no, master Kudu,' the assistant mumbled, immediately grabbing another vial from the cabinet.

'Good,' the master said. 'I was beginning to wonder why they hailed you as a genius and why I hired you again.'

She finally had three loaded syringes in her hands, and just wanted to bring them to her master when the other asura suddenly narrowed his eyes.

'No. I want to use my new potion first.' The assistant looked just about ready to faint, but resolutely turned around, dropped the syringes and loaded a clean one with a milky white substance, that had an odd greenish glow. She brought it over to master Kudu, who proceeded to insert the syringe into the Sylvari and dump its contents.

Then he lifted his hand and ordered, 'Now the others.'

.

Malomedies was somewhere inbetween sleep and waking. He floated, feeling his muscles ache dully somewhere in the back of his mind. Sometimes, there were flashes of light or flashes of memory. Usually it was silent. He kept going over and over the last thing he remembered. There were forests, dense forests, and then, little creatures. Burning pain, and then black. The table almost seemed familiar already. He had no notion of time, no idea what day it was, where he was taken. There were only episodes of something happening , and then long periods of nothing happening.

Suddenly a burning pain seared up his arm and he was cruelly shaken from his sleep -like state. He opened his eyes, and tried to move, to scream. He could see, for the first time since his last memory. A stone ceiling, glowing stones. Everything was blurry. His muscles ached as he used them after laying unmoving for hours, and started cramping once the burn reached them. He cringed, his sides trying to force him to positions he could not manoeuvre into.

Yellow eyes looked down on him. He heard the screeching of a pen on paper, it echoed in his ears. He opened his mouth and managed out a groan. The yellow eyes blinked, then the pen screeched again.

A pinch in his leg. Malomedies breathed out. It was just a pinch. It was just a pinch. It was just-

Suddenly he screamed, he screamed with full force as his leg began spasming and turning. He screamed and screamed and rattled all the chains that bound him, to no avail.

'Oh look, it's wilting,' a voice said. Malomedies forced himself to calm down, forced himself to breathe, clenched his jaws shut. He sought his voice, he sought to call for help, but his mind was hazy and numbed with pain.

'Let's put this one in then,' the voice spoke again, and another pinch followed. Another second of terror. Then it started again. Malomedies screamed with it, tears streaming down his cheeks.

'K-Kahedins!' He cried, suddenly, his lips forming a word, a name in his throat. The name of a person that could never hear him, no matter how hard he cried.

'Did he just say something?'

'I think he did.'

'Kahedins..' Malomedies muttered again, a picture, a memory playing before his eyes. A memory of the Grove, on a warm day, by the pond. Kahedins' cheerful smile playing over his lips.

'It's still wilting, master,' a higher, more feminine voice said. It was replied to with a grunt.

Another pinch. Suddenly all the pain stopped. Up to his knee was completely motionless.

'Oh, it's dead. Well, we have another leg.'

'Shall I prepare a healing potion, master?' Malomedies struggled to keep up with the voices. They were to quick and too high and too ungraspable.

'Later. I want to try something else first.'

He groaned again, moving his mouth in a futile attempt to speak. Something brushed past his bound hands and suddenly he grasped it, clenched his fists tightly shut. The female voice yelped, and something struggled against his grip. He clenched his fists tighter and groaned again.

'Help me.' He rasped. His throat was dry and sore from screaming. He relaxed his hands. He felt whatever he had held not leave the palms of his hands immediately.

'Master Kudu? It just asked for help.' The female voice said. Another grunt from the darker voice.

'That's what the mask is for.' Something covered his eyes and mouth, and darkness engulfed him once more. When the pain in his leg suddenly returned, his screams were muffled to an almost inaudible buzz.

.

Master Kudu's earpiece made a noise as another asura tried to contact him. He answered curtly.

'What?' Noise, then a metallic voice answered.

'Master Kudu, there has been an urgent note delivered for you. Shall I bring-'

'Who is it from?' Kudu snapped. 'I'm busy.'

'It's from magister Gixx, master.' The asura on the other side answered politely.

'Gixx. Well then, bring it here,' Kudu said, annoyedly. He made sure the mask was fastened securely before making a small cut in one of the leaves of the leg. The creature started thrashing again, so he just rested his arms on the table and waited for it to calm down. The door opened slowly.

'Master Kudu. I have your-'

'Give it to her! And get out!' Kudu snapped, and his assistant immediately ran up to the messenger, taking the letter and whispering an apology to him. She closed the door behind the other and ran to give her master the note.

Kudu tore it open with a pointy tooth and quickly scanned through it. His eyes widened for a second.

'Gixx met more of them. He suspects I have one too.' Kudu looked at his assistant. 'Which, concluding from his description, is correct.'

'So they are intelligent?' the assistant asked, eyes glimmering. 'That means-'

'That means we have to stop all research immediately!' Kudu gnarled at her. The assistant stepped back in reflex, her arms raised in front of her, shielding herself from him. Her master looked at the letter again, eyes blazing with rage.

'Gixx is returning to the Priory before he comes to Rata Sum.' The assistant nodded nervously. Kudu curled his mouth into something that might have been a smile.

'So we still have time. Bring me the next seven vials.' He tore up the letter and dropped it carelessly to the ground.

The assistant jumped up, brought the vials, then bent to pick up the pieces of torn paper and throw them out. She heard the creature thrash and scream again. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and gathered all her courage together.

'Master Kudu, is this really-' She jumped when Kudu slammed his fist on the table, hard, the vibrations reached even the assistants' feet.

'One more word and you are fired!' Kudu snarled at her. The assistant's eyes widened, and she returned to her place with her face humbly turned towards the ground.

'..Yes, Master Kudu.'