A tuft of snow slammed into his head as another tree branch twisted. Raylas shivered, the cold finally starting to seep into his bones.

He had been following the cliffside for an hour looking for an opening. There have been a few gaps into the rocks but none large enough for a person to enter, but Raylas did manage to find a rabbit in one and captured it before it could get away. A quick cleaning and prepping had it ready to be cooked once he found a good place to set up camp for the night.

He even found a few snow berries ripe in the bushes. The crop was hard to come by this time of year due to the deer and other herbivores devouring it before the true cold of winter set in. He smiled at his haul and pushed forward, consciously stepping over the branches as he legs were feeling heavy.

The armor didn’t help. The metal burned against his skin, sticking to him and weighing him down. He refused to remove it in case he ran across a predator or monster, his last defense from an attack. His limbs were growing numb so he knew his reaction times would be lackluster at best, so he needed the armor now more than ever.

Plus, the fairies kept playing games with him. Dropping snow on his head, hiding ditches for him to step in, and being an overall nuisance. If he were to remove the armor it wouldn’t be cold metal on him but freezing water. His clothes were moist with sweat now but without the covering they would have been dripping from melted snow and ice.

Then again, it wasn’t all bad. The cliff held off some of the wind. He had food for the evening, and the fairies didn’t appear to want to harm him. They were just playing pranks and messing with him for giggles, like children.

He held out his hand and one of the fairies flew down and flew circles around it. They had yet to come to sit down on the outstretched hand but over the past hour they had come to understand he didn’t want to fight them. They were creatures of nature like everything else, and despite the rude introduction of dropping him off a cliff he knew they were generally no threat to him so there was no reason to fight.

Goodwill liked to playfully insult Raylas on his decisions when it came to nature, but such things were bound to happen. Like the wolf he had come to respect them, one warrior to another. The children of the woods like the fairies just acted in their nature. Games, jokes, and curiosity was what made them what they were. If they were pixies they would be tending to the undergrowth to help grow the forest.

If they were will’o’wisps he would not have to worry about much anymore. The doom guides of the forest were the forebears of death, leading travelers into the more dangerous areas of the woods. To other natural creatures they were being led to those in power, but to humans and the like they would be taken to beasts which made villager’s wake up in fear at night. Like a dryad.

But fairies tend to be harmless if you show you mean them no harm, or that you enjoy their games. They were fun-loving creatures. The only problem now was they wanted to play games which might cause Raylas to get sick or die. They had unique bodies which were formed from the unique concentrated pools of magic in their birthplaces. They were part of the real word yet not, a duel creature of magic and nature who saw things which nobody else could.

Raylas smiled at the green fairy which flew around his arm, giggling. Its eyes were pitch black, but inside sparkled like stars. Another fairy came down and took the hands of the first and started to spin around like a ballroom dancer. Their eyes were reflective like a mirror, allowing Raylas to see glimpses of himself when their eyes locked.

He smiled at the small dancers and chuckled at their antics. Closing his eyes and letting their laughter chime around him was almost as good as getting a warm beam of sunshine on a cold night.

Then he shivered again. The cold returned after a moment of respite.

He needed shelter, and soon. The fairies saw his movement and seemed to think it was a dance move of his own, mimicking his shivering and letting out a laugh at the fun of it all.

They were too innocent and too distracting at times like this. Survival meant keeping attention up at all times, watching for danger and calculating the chances of survival from every task. His dinner had been cleaned earlier to keep the smell of blood from following him as he roamed in his search for shelter, but it also was a temporary measure. The meat was fresh and needed to be cooked.

His stomach grumbled at the reminder. He didn’t even get a piece of bread after the zombies attacked the wall. The smell of rot and decay ruined his appetite so he gave his share to the Sapphire twins, who scarfed it down with no qualms at all.

He touched the bag tied to his belt. Maybe there was some food in there? And warmth?

He shook his head. Going into a dungeon to find shelter? What kind of insane thought was that? Not to mention it was filled with who knows what. Monster bones, books, those floating lanterns… gold. Lots and lots of gold. Too much gold.

He was getting distracted. The dungeon was a no-go, so he had to find somewhere useful to warm up. He peered around and saw only forest and playful fairies.

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“Would you know a place for me to rest?” he asked the two fairies dancing in the snow in front of him. They were so light there were no tracks, and the tracks he left were constantly being buried by a few blue fairies having snowball fights.

The two paused their dance and looked at him curiously. One smiled and gave a proud nod and started to mouth some words but he could hear nothing. The second fairy laughed when the first looked disappointed realizing Raylas couldn’t hear.

The two flew up and grabbed the edge of his chestplate and tugged, trying to pull him forward. Raylas gave a patient smile and started forward following the directions they pointed.

Soon he was striding through the snow with two fairies sitting on his hand speaking energetically while leading him. The other fairies were hanging off of him, one was even braiding his hair. It had grown unnaturally long during his time walking, maybe fairy magic? He scratched his beard which was finally coming in as well.

He stopped when a structure came into view. An old stone wall overgrown with moss and plants, trees breaking through structures long since forgotten. They were squared and spaced in a tight-nit unit, spreading out through the forest and through small creaks. The remains of supports which held bridges popped out of the water.

The air here was also warm. On a number of the broken walls were stones which were tinted red. Raylas recognized the fire-stone and touched one but it was cold to the touch. The heat was radiating off of the ground. He kicked some of the snow away and gasped.

The entire floor was filled with heat and fire stones. Not the shards he saw sold in the town but full blocks built onto the floor base. His pulse rose and he loosened his stance, bending his legs slightly ready to move at any moment.

This was a ruin, not a dungeon type ruin but an ancient city. Hopefully it was not as old as the Cataclysm but from the damage and growth he wouldn’t put it past it. The air even had a unique fragrance to it. Not really a smell but a feeling, like an electrical storm waiting to unleash. Was it a powerful creature which made this place home? Enchantments which somehow survived the centuries? He didn’t know.

Sapphire probably could tell him but she wasn’t here. Captain would have been ordering their retreat and Rolft would have beat him down to drag him from the place. Even Goodwill would have quit joking and been ready to fight or flee at the sight.

But the two fairies looked happy and leapt from his hand, dancing around the buildings and playing leap frog over the river.

Warmth seemed to return to his body as he stood over the stones, but it was a dangerous feeling. These stones didn’t actually warm you but gave you the impression of warmth, distracting you from the true cold in the air. That is why they were not in every house in the kingdom and they still relied on firewood. A deadly illusion which remained from before, and a test to any stranger in the lands who wished to live in the Kasan Kingdom.

He wanted to run but the fairies led him here. If it was just an old town he could make use of it.

The debate didn’t last long as another cold breeze broke through the warm illusion. He shivered and looked up. The horizon was darkening and the first sparkles of stars were beginning to come out.

He would have to stay here. Wandering in the dark was just as dangerous. At least here he could set up a camp and die with a fire next to him.

He set to work and gathered some branches. Using some dead moss he wrapped it around a branch and lit it after a few sparks. His makeshift torch wouldn’t last long since it didn’t have much fuel but it was enough to help him finish exploring.

There was a building a short distance from the creeks with what appeared to be a basement. The fairies were pointing into it but Raylas wasn’t stupid. He unhooked his knife and held up his torch as he peeked down the stairs.

Just a single room which smelled like old vegetation. There was no hint of snow beneath the floor but there was some dampness in the air. He creeped down the stairs and did a quick search but found nothing of interest. The room was completely empty except for weeds. The ground was slightly damp, which would become annoying if he slept down here as it was but with a fire it might start to feel good. Warm water would hold heat better than just warm air.

Deciding the fairies' choice in shelter was acceptable he put down his pack and laid out a few of the berries on a leaf. He gestured to them to the fairies.

“This is my thanks for your help,” he said.

The fairies flew down to examine the gift.

Raylas smiled as he left the shelter to gather wood and tinder. When he came back there was a full on feast going on with the fairies drinking berry juice from small wood cups and snacking on the berries. There was dancing and singing going on everywhere in the room.

He set up a fire away from the entrance of the basement and lit it. The flames crinkled, annoyed at the wet wood and moss which he gathered, but with the help of his dying torch it finally gave in to the flame.

He fed the growing flame more and more wood until it was a good size, large enough to warm and cook his rabbit, but not so large that it would be billowing a lot of smoke which would attract other creatures.

He skewered the rabbit and set it to hang over the fire, slowly rotating it. The fairies continued their dancing and singing, but a few did turn to look at what he was doing. Soon a small crowd grew around him and Raylas glanced around at their hungry faces.

With a shrug he cut off part of the rabbit and set it on the ground. The meat was well cooked and dripping delicious juices. With his knife he slowly sliced it into smaller and smaller pieces until each fairy got one.

He pulled off the leg of the rabbit and held it up over the crowd.

“To a good meal and a safe night,” he toasted before he took a large bite.

The fairies let in a cheer and munched down onto their own feasts. Singing continued into the night and the creatures even started to gather around the fire and do a very intricate dance. Raylas smiled and laughed at their antics which reminded him of times long, long ago.

He wondered if Eilire’s harvest festivals were still as joyous as the simple partying of the innocent fairies?