I do not own Dragon Quest 11 or any of the characters.
Cold Reception
Kai narrowed his eyes in annoyance. The academy had turned out to be rather annoying. For one thing, it was an all-girls school where they were taught to search for Mini Medals, small gold coins decorated with a star. And while they had once possessed one of the Orbs, specifically the Silver Orb, a Condor had stolen it, so they'd had to hunt down the Condor and kill it for the Orb. After that, they'd returned to Zwaardsrust to search for another Orb based on a rumor at the school that the fallen kingdom there had once had an Orb as well. It had been in the ruins near the Warrior's Rest in, but due to time constraints they'd used Zoom to transport themselves and their ship to the sea nearby. Kai had always hated Zoom. It made him motion sick. But they had found the Orb behind a gate that required the Magic Key they'd gotten from Dora. Now, they were sailing toward Sniflheim.
They were still hours away from it, but it was already painfully cold. They were spending the time with Kai and Sylvando training David and Erik. Erik had mastered dual wielding daggers, though he still struggled with swords. He could, however, use a sword and a dagger like Kai did as perfectly as Kai, so Kai had used the Fun-Sized Forge to make him a Bastard Sword to use any time he needed a longer weapon than his twin daggers. David, on the other hand, had picked up the skill fairly well, but was far from mastering it. His skill with his left hand was only half what his right hand was, and he didn't have enough coordination or endurance in his left hand to use a sword for a long period of time. However, as he was training with Sylvando currently, Kai had decided to spar with Jade to see how good she was with spears and claws. Spears she was amazing with. Claws, however, had been interrupted by her Iron Claws being fragile from the cold and shattering.
"Pathetic," Kai growled.
"I'm sorry," Jade winced.
"Not you," Kai said. "Your toys. Iron Claws are worthless. They're brittle in the cold, they dull easily, and they're weak." He sighed. "I'll be right back."
Jade frowned in confusion, and watched Kai walk over to the forge again. He dropped several crystals and a few types of ore into the forge before beginning to slam the hammer into it. Finally, he stood, holding up the finished product and nodding to himself, satisfied. The Crystal Claws he'd formed were a unique design, having a form-fitting gauntlet to wrap around the arm consisting of a silver metal with an intricate, latticework design, the metal arranged into three overlapping plates not unlike his own claws, then with a large, blue crystal in the back of the hand and sticking backward off of each plate where the central spike on his own claws were. The blades, however, deviated from the usual three, instead having a blue sleeve for each finger and a blue, crystal, blade-like claw around the sleeve starting at the second finger knuckle. He held them out to Jade, and she stared at them in surprise.
"They're...beautiful!" Jade breathed.
"I know," Kai said, putting his own claws back on. "I used to work as a blacksmith for the Dragovians."
Jade's eyes widened in surprise before she smiled, preparing herself again. This time, the claws withstood his own perfectly. His were superior, and he could get through them if he wanted to, but it would require enough force that almost nothing they would face would be able to damage them. So, he was able to experience her full skill with the claws. And for the first time since long before he'd begun traveling with the group, he genuinely smiled. Her form and technique with the claws were flawless. Lord Robert had trained her well. She was fast, precise, and creative. Her skill with her claws actually matched his own, so for nearly half an hour, they fought, their battle looking more like a dance than a fight. The others all stopped to watch as they all but flowed around each other, their blades clashing against and sparking off of each other's. And as they fought, Kai was reminded of one other person who'd always been his equal with claws as their weapon. Someone who'd preferred spears but been better with claws, whose death still haunted him.
Finally, fatigue began to get the better of Jade, and Kai took the upper hand. Then, as he was moving to strike, she stumbled, and Kai yanked his strike out to the side, missing an accidentally fatal shot by inches and instead catching her before she could fall. She took a moment to catch her breath before standing, her smile betraying that she had also enjoyed their contest.
"You're amazing," Jade said.
"The fat Lord trained you well," Kai complimented her. "Other than him, there's never been another human who could match me with claws."
"Aye," Robert nodded. "You've always been more deadly with them than with your sword."
Kai glared at him. "Did I ask for your opinion?"
"Och, I was only paying you a well-deserved compliment!" Robert said.
"And now I need a bath," Kai growled. "Well done."
He turned, storming away from the others, stowing his claws as he went, and Jade sighed, taking her own off as well.
"Our darling friend is so unfriendly," Sylvando sighed. "I was hoping that he'd eventually warm up to us."
"He'll never warm up to Rab," Jade said, watching Kai as he leaned on the back of the ship, glaring down at the water. "He'll never forgive him."
Robert sighed. "How much further?"
"Only a few minutes," Dave said.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, they'd made port at Sniflheim and everyone began to leave the ship, except for Jade and Kai, who hadn't moved from the back of the ship. Jade walked over to lean on the back of the ship with him.
"You know, I think that was the first genuine smile I've ever seen on your face," Jade commented.
"It was," Kai said. "You reminded me of someone."
"Who?" Jade asked.
"Xia," Kai said. "My fiancée. She was one of the best warriors the Dragovians ever had. She was able to match me perfectly with claws. Neither of us ever beat the others. She preferred spears, however, which are less versatile, and I was able to beat her with a spear while I used claws, but again when I used swords, which are also less versatile, we were a perfect match. Although, she had a unique ability with spears. She could generate, channel, and control electricity with them."
"That's possible?" Jade asked, eyes wide with surprise.
"Only for her," Kai said. "Like I said, it was a unique power." He shook his head. "My brother was the only person who was ever stronger than us. At least, among Dragovians."
Jade nodded. "How did you compete with her electricity?"
"I used my own unique power," Kai said, drawing his Dragovian King Sword and holding it out, flames roaring along it for a moment before ending. "I've always had a penchant for flames, and my brother and I were able to combine our flames with our weapons. Mine were always more volatile than my brother's, but his required less energy."
Jade nodded, only to then shiver as a breeze blew past, clutching at her shoulders.
"It's so cold here," Jade frowned. "We should probably catch up to the others."
"Hold on," Kai said, walking over to the forge. "You're going to get frostbite dressed like that."
Jade raised an eyebrow, and a moment later, he held out a bundle of clothes. She accepted them, walking into the ship's interior to change, then walked back out a moment later, staring down at her new outfit in surprise. "It's so warm!"
The dress he'd made her was white on the body and between her legs, left her shoulders bare but had white sleeves with a poofy purple section at the top, a purple skirt falling at the sides and back, black leggings underneath thigh-high, white boots, a loose, decorative belt of gold squares, a pair of red ribbons with gold along the edges hanging down at an angle from the front, then looping loosely behind her to tie into a bow at the back of her waist, a pair of gold bands around her wrists, gold along the top of the boots and the top of the dress, a pair of gold chains reaching up to a gold collar that wrapped around the base of her neck and reached about halfway up it, and had a decorative, gold, three-point tiara with a blue jewel set into the front of the middle of point.
"I made it with lava lumps so that it'd keep you warm," Kai said.
"Thank you," Jade smiled. "Now, come on. The others must be getting worried about us by now."
Kai nodded, and they left the ship toward Sniflheim, only to find the others waiting for them in front of a huge gate covered in thick ice, keeping them firmly closed.
"Och, you look lovely, Jade," Robert said as he noticed Jade's new outfit.
"Thank you," Jade smiled. "Kai made it."
"What's with the ice?" Kai asked.
"We're not sure," Erik said. "Rab says they normally keep the main gate free of ice, but right now..."
Kai narrowed his eyes, then roared, sending a massive torrent of flames into the ice. Steam surged outward, but as the flames ended, the ice remained. "It's magic. Something's not right."
"You can't melt it?" Serena asked.
"I probably could," Kai mused. "But that'd be a waste of energy. I can just fly over it."
"Hold on, Laddie," Robert said, Kai growling but saying nothing. "If memory serves, there's another door around back." He gestured off to the left. "Let's check that before we fly over the gate. Wouldn't want to startle anyone."
Kai nodded, and they all circled the village to the left, finding a door that was free of ice. They opened it with the Magic Key, and a moment later, they realized the true gravity of the situation. Everyone in the city was frozen solid. They looked more like ice sculptures than people. They walked toward a fountain at the center of the city, just in front of the castle, and the ice sculptures' poses turned from being frozen while going about their daily lives to soldiers preparing for a fight, or civilians fleeing from something. One woman had fallen and had raised a hand as though to fend off an attack. They all walked through the village in silence, finding nothing but ice sculptures for a long while before finally finding one, single person who was still alive, standing before a fire. She wore an orange cape with Sniflheim's emblem on it and a thin, white dress, and a golden crown adorned her blonde head. When they found her, she was reading from a black book with an intricate design on the front. She gasped as they walked over to her, then sighed.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" she apologized. "You gave me a fright. I hadn't expected to see travelers in town."
"Finally, someone who hasn't been turned into a block of ice!" Veronica said. "Can you tell us what happened here?"
The young woman nodded. "Well, it all began three months ago. It was a bright, sunny day, just like any other, when suddenly a strange shadow filled the sky. It was a witch!"
"A witch?" Serena gasped. "My goodness! That sounds like something from a fairy tale!"
"Just so," the woman nodded. "She chanted an ancient incantation, and just like that, the town was engulfed in a ferocious snowstorm. The wind took my breath clean away, and before I knew it, I had fainted. And when I awoke...all was frozen. I was the only one spared."
"She must be a pretty powerful witch to freeze this whole city with a single spell," Veronica reasoned. "I wish I could help, but all this ice is more than my magic can melt."
"You'd kill everyone trying, anyway," Kai said. "We have to end the spell, not counter it."
"By the way, missie, that symbol on yer shawl," Robert intoned. "Is that not..."
"Oh, forgive me!" the woman gasped. "I have not introduced myself yet, have I? I am Frysabel, Queen of Sniflheim."
"You couldn't tell by the crown?" Kai asked. "Well, I suppose you're probably so short that you can't see that high up."
Robert sighed heavily. "So, if you're the Queen, does that mean the auld king is..."
"I'm afraid so," Frysabel said, bowing her head. "My father passed away last year. Oh, I've only been in charge these few months, and just look at my kingdom! Whatever am I going to do?"
"Looks like Sniflheim's in a bit of a sticky situation," Veronica muttered to David. "I suppose now isn't a good time to ask about the Orb."
"An orb?" Frysabel asked. "What kind of Orb?"
"Why, the big blue ball that's been handed down in yer family for generations, lassie," Robert said. "Truth be told...we need to borrow it."
"O-Oh, of course!" Frysabel stammered. "You would be welcome to borrow it...but I am afraid it is locked up tight in the castle...which is locked up tight inside the ice."
"I could smash through the wall," Kai offered, getting a pointed glare from everyone but Jade, who merely stared at him blankly.
"No," Jade said. "If we need to end the spell to thaw the ice, we'll have to help Sniflheim with their witch problem."
Kai rolled his eyes. "Goodie two-shoes."
"Just a few days ago, a band of knights from a faraway land came here to investigate what was happening," Frysabel informed them. "I sent them out to try and find the witch and fight her...but I haven't seen them since."
"Well, we can't very well leave them out in the cold," Veronica said. "Let's go and give those soldiers a hand and bring spring back to Sniflheim, shall we?"
"With our luck, Hendrickson will be with the knights," Erik said.
"I certainly hope so," Kai grinned wickedly.
"No killing Hendrickson!" Jade said sharply.
Kai rolled his eyes. "Whether now or later, you can't protect him forever."
"The wicked witch dwells in the Hekswood, a haunted forest to the north of the Snaerfelt steppe," Frysabel told them. "Be very, very wary, for the witch does not live in the woods alone. She keeps a fierce magical beast to guard against intruders."
"Aye, we'll be sure to keep an eye out," Robert nodded. "Thanks for the warning, lassie. Right, come on, boys and girls. Let's head over to the Hekswood!"
They headed back through the door they'd entered through, then circled around the city's outer wall again before heading through a gate leading to the Snaerfelt steppe. As they passed through the Snaerfelt, they were assaulted by groups of enemies ranging from dragon slimes, which were flying, blue slimes that had a pair of tiny wings, tails, and horns, to Face Invaders which were giant, beetle-like, insectoid, monsters wielding a pair of massive horns as clubs, to huge, overweight, white ghosts in purple vests pounding on a purple drum with a jack-o-lantern face called a Bongo Fandango, blue, pterodactyl-looking monsters called chillanodons, and Hunter Mechs, which were robots with a vaguely humanoid torso and arms, four legs ending in large plates for balance, and in place of a head and neck a mechanical eye that was black with a glowing violet dot in the center, all of which carried a scimitar in their right hand and had their left replaced by a self-reloading crossbow.
Of all of the creatures, the Hunter Mechs were the most dangerous, but the Face Invaders were the most numerous and annoying to deal with, do to their thick armor being nearly two feet away from their core as well as the things being double a human adult's height. Finally, however, they reached a cabin just outside of the entrance to the Hekswood and stopped so everyone could rest and warm up. Inside was a man in an orange scholar's hat and coat, who was so absorbed in whatever book he was reading that he showed no sign of having noticed them. Kai equally ignored him, sitting on the bed while everyone else crowded around the fire. Only Jade was as unaffected by the cold as Kai acted, sitting beside him instead of the fire.
"This dress you made me is perfect," Jade smiled, then narrowed her eyes teasingly. "How'd you know what size to make it?"
"Lucky guess," Kai said disinterestedly, laying back on the bed. "Mixed with a bit of the Fun-Sized Forge being able to make it to the perfect size for the intended recipient according to the forger's will."
Jade smiled. "Sounds like bullshit to me."
Kai rolled his eyes. "You're right. I've secretly been taking your measurements while you sleep."
Jade smirked. "Pervert."
Kai rolled his eyes again, then sat up, pulling the last of the meat he'd made from the Black Dragon he'd killed under Heliodor and beginning to eat.
"Have any for us?" David asked.
"No," Kai said flatly, taking another bite.
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