If you call me, I shall answer

[Hikami]

Company: Mysterious Winged Woman| Thoughts: I Dont Know where to Begin| Mood: Cautious, Curious

---

龍 The more he thought about the task ahead of him, the more he pondered just how dangerous this mission was. He was familiar with the first level of the Warrens, and had come to train and hone his skills across that expanse. Venturing into new territory he had never been in before, unsure of where to find what he needed was going to be a challenge. Plus he wouldn't be able to do that alone, he would need others to aid him, and putting them in harm's way was out of the question.

As he looked on at the woman and her dragon encased in the ice he weighed the option if it meant saving their lives. Plus he needed answers, and if he could achieve this it would mean he was closer to getting those answers. His wings came to fold and hung over his shoulders, as he thought of the best course of action, and then an idea hit him. "We may not need to go to the Haunted Reaches." he mumbled as he closed his eyes, concentrated, and began forming something within his hands.

He formed a loadstone, a large vibrant crystal of peerless light blue, and pale blue light gleaming from the center of it. The aura coming off it was chilling, freezing air radiating out from it. He began to form several more, up to now have five of these loadstones orbs sitting before him. "My aunt says that master elementalist can make these things called loadstones." he said picking one up and holding it in his hand. "They can hold master level elemental manifestations."

Holding it out towards the ethereal woman, he gave her a hopeful smile. "Will these suffice?" 龍

---

"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Aegis]

Friya smiled, a bit of amusement and surprise on her face. "You're more gifted than I realised..." But her look softened as she placed a hand over the loadstones, closing her eyes, feeling the power in them. "It.. might be enough. But not as they are." She opened her eyes, looking directly into Hikami's own. "Merge them into one. Focus your energy on them and pour everything you have into them, grow it. We can make it work."

She turned away from Hikami to look down at Kisorika and her companion, timeless in the ice. "We can make it all work..."

She looked back at him, "Empty yourself into the loadstone you wish to form. Just as you did the day you opened yourself to that higher power. The day your true form awoke." She bit her lip nervously, "I can redirect the energy I'm pulling from the storm to help keep your body together. Empty yourself into the loadstone and I will keep you intact. If you can put everything into it, I can save them, I know it."

But a serious line upon her lips, "But if I redirect this energy away from them, and we fail... all of us could die. You must get it right on the first try. If you hold anything back, it might not be enough. It might not be enough even if you give it everything... Is this what you wish to do? If so, you should begin at once, before the storm grows any weaker."

Friya gave a long, slow blink, and her icy blue eyes flared, the entirety of the eye glowing that soft blue now, and her aura that she had been channeling with the storm this whole time became visible. The power she was pulling from the storm was pouring into her, a great waterfall of raw power the was flooding her body. It was then flowing down into her feet, through the floor, and into the ice that encapsulated Kisorika and her dragon. The entire room was awash with power.

"It's now or never, Iceborne."

[Hikami]

Company: Mysterious Winged Woman| Thoughts: I Dont Know where to Begin| Mood: Cautious, Curious

---

龍 They were so close now, and given what all Friya had said, he couldn't waste time asking any more questions. When given the signal he began to create a loadstone, but this one would be much different than the ones made moments ago. Closing his eyes he allowed himself to open up like he had done that day. He could feel the same burning surge of power now as he did in the lake.

He began to empty all of his power and essence into the crystal forming in his hands. The feeling of being drained was only counteracted by the feeling of Friya trying to sustain him. It was a good thing he had the amulet and the ring Talon had made with him to draw on whenever he felt like his strength was fleeting. With concentration and focus, Hikami poured all he could into the loadstone, a massive crystal taking shape before his very eyes.

"It's still not enough" he chastised, not wanting to fail, as he still needed answers. He continued to push, only to see a flash of Talon, and felt encouraged to do his best. "AAAAAHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!" as he roared the stone in his grasp glowed brighter, and a chilling aura of vibrant ice blue spun and swirled as the loadstone began to complete. Hikami exerted all he had into the creation of the large stone as the cold icy wind whipped about until it soared upward like a tornado, then ceased as the avialae fell to one knee.

In his hand was the loadstone, larger than normal, but beautiful and brimming with power and the essence of the iceborne. 龍

---

"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Aegis]

Once the ice imbued lodestone was complete and sitting upon Hikami's hand, he'd only now notice Friya's hand upon his shoulder. True to her word, she had kept his body whole and together. There was a whisper in his exhausted ear, the warmth of her chest against his back, "You've done splendidly. Time to finish your transformation."

And with that, Hikami felt a shove, a push against the very core of his being. He'd feel his aetheric body, a mix of his soul and the aetheric pathways that naturally existed in his body, leave it. A power was pushing him as another pulled, and he had no aether left to fight it. His aetheric body was pulled into the loadstone, a violent but not painful experience for him. He'd feel small, cramped, and isolated. He'd still feel Friya's touch on his back, urging him onward.

And then the pressure ceased, and Hikami would be able to see, at least through his aetheric senses, that he was in a world of ice and wind and cold. There was nothing here that wasn't of ice, and Hikami would know that the cold here, the cold he had no body to feel, would freeze any living thing that came here in an instant. Friya, in her own aetheric form, lightly glowing sapphiric and transparent.

"Welcome to the Elemental Plane of Ice, Hikami."

She looked over at him, "Can you feel it?"

All around them, the winds were swirling, in the same way as the storm back on Ransera had been. Here, it was not a physical semblance of frozen water and frigid winds, it was a storm of icy aether before it entered the mortal realm. And in the center of it was a great, shining being. It was crystalline, almost like a snowflake the size of a man, and it thrummed with power. It was the center of the storm. The cause of the storm.

"That's a spirit of ice. An incredibly powerful one. Coax it to come back with you to the mortal realm. This is what is needed."

As they spoke, Hikami would be able to feel his aetheric reserves slowly beginning to feel. It would still take a while but certainly felt faster than they would refill in the mortal realm. "Embrace the spirit and bring it back."

She turned where Hikami would see the glowing lodestone that he'd made, existing both within the mortal realm and here. Friya touched the lodestone and disappeared back to the mortal realm, a parting word on the winds, "Stay strong, my dragon."

[Hikami]

Company: Mysterious Winged Woman| Thoughts: I Dont Know where to Begin| Mood: Cautious, Curious

---

龍 His eyes could only gaze in astonishment at the crystalline being before him, Freya's parting words echoing in his ear as the winds of the storm whirled and whipped about him. It was a task easier said than done he was sure, but he had come this far already, there really was no turning back at this point.

Approaching the entity he reached out to touch it, placing a hand on its frozen shoulder. "I am not sure what has caused you to become riled up in such a manner, but I have come to ease your frustration. You are bleeding into the mortal realm, and to add to that, your help is needed. If there is anything I can do to aid you I will But I must insist you cease this, and become part of me. Only then can I help you in whatever it is that has spurred you into action like this."

He took a step back and extended a hand toward the great ice spirit. He wasn't expecting it to just come willingly, and if he had no other choice he would simply absorb the spirit if he had to. He didn't want to, but he knew it was necessary for getting the answers he needed from Freya. His soul was resolute in calming the spirit, making it see he was not going to back down for any reason, as he was determined to finish this, to save the woman and her dragon, to finally have some semblance of answers to the questions he had whirling around just like this storm.

To add to his resolve, Hikami began to manipulate the icy winds around him, forcing the once in his immediate vicinity to counter-spin against the ice spirits'. 龍

---

"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Aegis]

The Spirit of Ice did not speak back to Hikami. Or rather, couldn’t. But it did feel the winds that Hikami was sending to counter spin. And it began to respond. At first there was a heavy resistance against Hikami’s winds. But then the spirits’ own began to relent, giving way. The winds were pushing and pulling now, mixing and mingling, forming a sphere as the Spirit of Ice moved closer to Hikami. The winds around them were powerful but they were not raging. Rather, they were in balance, half were Hikami’s flowing one way, half the spirits going opposite.

The spirit continue to float closer and closer to Hikami, and as it did, an aura around Hikami began to appear. It had always been there, but it was now visible to Hikami himself. It was large, blue hued, and appeared to have wings, unfurling from around Hikami, and opening wide. The Spirit continued to move closer and closer and then moved into Hikami.

The spirit began seizing control of Hikami’s body, of his aether, but there was no sense of malice within. It set to work, reorganising Hikami’s aetheric pathways and binding itself with Hikami at the smallest of levels. As it worked, there was no pain, but it would be a foreign experience, tingling, touch and motion of things never touched nor ever move. Hikami would feel cold, the deepest, most bitter depths of cold than any had felt, and lived. And as he continued to transform, he would begin to feel the spirit’s purpose.

It existed to help bring balance to the natural elements. Not just the basic elements, but all of them, including the para-elements. If an area grew too hot, the spirit might appear somewhere else to spawn a storm, and send cooling winds. If winds grew too strong, it might drop hail to tire them out. It was the purpose of all spirits to find balance, and it was bringing balance to Hikami now.

Soon, the chill in Hikami would abate, and he would find his body at piece. He and the spirit were one now, an exchange had been made, one without words. Hikami’s body was now stabilised by the spirit. It would not unravel due to a lack of concentration or aether on Hikami’s part. But now Hikami had been passed on the spirits purpose in exchange. When an area near him was put out of natural balance, often due to the affects of magic both controlled and wild, he would feel the imbalance and be compelled to bring it back into balance.

The winds swirling around him faded and with it, the aura of the dragon faded as well, leaving him alone in the Elemental Plane of Ice. Him and the lodestone back.

[Hikami]

Company: Mysterious Winged Woman| Thoughts: I Dont Know where to Begin| Mood: Cautious, Curious

---

龍 As the spirit melded with his being he could feel the surge of aether coursing through his aetherical veins. He could feel the thought process of the spirit colliding and shifting with his own. He could feel the strength of the spirit combining with his own, and held no other need for the elaborate jewel he used as a power source. A faint smile formed on his lips as for the first time since his transformation, he felt complete, he felt whole.

He could hear the whispers of the spirit in his mind, feel the feelings and emotions it was trying to convey, feeling the need to complete the task the spirit was trying to finish. Somehow he assured the spirit that he would be the vessel to aid it, as compensation for stabilizing the iceborne and his physical form. It was a fair price to pay for what the spirit had done for him, so the kathar didn't mind in the least having a passenger ride within his body.

Now that the storm had subsided, the spirit settled into its new vessel, and the crystalline kathar looked to the emptiness of the expanse in front of him. "Freya? I have calmed the spirit, so what happens now?" his words echoed around him as he awaited to be pulled back to the cavern and to the winged woman and the frozen elf and her dragon. He was eager to gain the answers that were promised, and save the life of the two frozen in time.

Clutching the depleted loadstone, Hikami waited, waiting for Freya to hold up her end of the bargain. 龍

---

"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Aegis]

But no answer came, at least not one with words.

There was a surge of elemental power that flowed through the lodestone, a shining bright blue light blinded Hikami as it raced through him and the changed man left the Elemental Plane of Ice.

He found himself back in the cavern where he and Freya had been speaking to one another earlier. Only now, she was no longer there. If he peered over the balcony, the rider, the dragon, and all of the ice that had been there were gone as well.

Up above the cavern, the storm had settled and the skies cleared. The sun shined upon Karnor for the first time in weeks, revealing all the many things that had occurred during this most unprecedented winter.

A single snowflake, large and glowing, fluttered down into the cavern, bouncing along a single breeze that was laughing in the way that only Elementalists had come to know. The crystalline figure floated over to Hikami, alighting upon his chest, not melting in his presence as it would with most others.

And with it, Freya’s words entered his mind.

’Thanks to you, she will recover and when she does, I’ll return her home. It is not safe for me to stay here now and I have left with most haste. We will meet again, HIkami Iceborne, when you’ve become the dragon I know you to be. And I will show you the gratitude I should be giving you now.

Stay safe, my dragon.’

And with that, the snowflake melted, revealing to Hikami that it had been formed from a tear that had fallen from Freya’s eyes.

And once more, Hikami was alone in his mind.

Well, not entirely alone, as he could sense the desires of the Spirit of Ice that was maintaining his body there. It shared that it could feel an imbalance in temperatures now to the west. A light snowfall would be needed soon.

Hikami was left there, with no answers given, but a new purpose and a new friend.

[Hikami]

Company: Mysterious Winged Woman| Thoughts: I Dont Know where to Begin| Mood: Cautious, Curious

---

龍 He could say he wasn't upset by her quick departure, but he couldn't help but believe that in her words at the moment. He felt an overwhelming sense of being used, something he had come to know quite well while being in Kalzasi. But with her gone now he couldn't question her any longer, as he could no longer feel her presence. He wondered just where she had whisked the woman and her dragon steed off to, but felt he would only gain a headache if he tried to ascertain her whereabouts.

With a sigh he stood there for a moment, looking at his reflection in the icy cavern at the bottom of the pit. Melding with the ice spirit changed him considerably, and he couldn't say he didn't like the change. It gave him an indomitable presence, one that would no doubt command respect from those who gazed upon it.

with another sigh, he look to the opening high above him and lept into the air, his wings carrying him up and onward as more creatures tried their hand at making a meal out of him. At his level of power, he didn't even need to lift a hand as the air around him became frigid cold, and those unfortunate enough to come in contact with him were frozen solid, plummeting to the ground where they no doubt would shatter into pieces. It made him smirk knowing nothing could touch him at the moment. When he could see the entrance of the pit he could see the shadows of the mortallen from earlier.

Fmyling right past them he came to hover several feet in the air above them, giving them a glare he spoke, calling on the ice spirit's power. The temperature would drop significantly as he spoke. "I came here not wanting any conflict with you, but you have shown me your true colors. Know that if you ever dare to threaten Kalzasi and the northlands, I will gift you with a frigid death!" he bellowed, giving his wings a mighty flap before darting off back toward Kalzasi. 龍

---

"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Aegis]

REVIEW TIME

Hikami
Lores:
15 Skill Lores

Loot: 1 Companion - A Palarae Tier Spirit of Ice has now infused itself with Hikami’s body, stabilizing it. Hikami no longer has to continuously spend Aether or use dragon shards to maintain his form. However, he will have to answer the compulsions of the Spirit of Ice to bring about natural balance within any region that Hikami is located. Continuous failure to do so will result in the spirit leaving Hikami, which will be a moderated event.

Injuries: None

Points:
12 Skill Points, May be used for Elementalism

Comments: I quite enjoyed this thread. Let me know when you’re ready to pursue this in more current time or you unlock Hikami’s draconic form.