“Honestly, that kid.” Lizzy quipped as she stepped through the snow carefully. The girls and Fyu had been trudging through it towards what they hoped was the dungeon for the orb in this area for about two in-game hours now, but there was no change in the orbs they had in their possession. Supposedly they would shimmer or glow when near another orb that was not yet found by them.
“Give her a break,” Maryn smiled back. “She gave us the orbs, at least.”
“Hahh, whatever.” the blonde girl sighed. “Anyway--Ari I understand going back for Lana; it's almost a given... but Anhe, too?”
“Who knows,” Derwydd shrugged. “At least we'll have Snow Dancer and Cloveroak coming along in a few to help us out up here,” he then said.
“Was Cloveroak a...?” Lizzy returned uncertainly, and Derwydd smiled back.
“Cloveroak is a Changeling Sage.” he reminded her.
“Cool!”
“What's the difference between a sage and a druid, anyway?” Healina wondered.
“They're both very nature-y, aren't they?” Maryn said in agreement.
“Druids are more focused on mysteries and knowledge in general, while Sages tend to an actual fixation on nature itself. Well, the lines between them do tend to get a bit blurred in some games,” Derwydd said.
“Hmm,” Healina nodded back.
“Still no change in those orbs?” Lizzy then asked.
“Nope.” Lysandra sighed. She had been keeping hold of the one, looking at it every now and then to make sure they hadn't missed something. “Come to think of it, I bet Anhe thought her specialty would be more useful aiding Ari and Lana as opposed to all of us.”
“Now that you mention it we are a more rounded party, even without the three of them,” Maryn nodded back.
“And with Der's friends coming along we'll be even more rounded out.” Healina said.
“Yeah, yeah. Excuses, ex-cuses...” Lizzy quipped grumpily, and the others laughed. “Ugh, but it really is reassuring with Lana around in this game...”
“I can understand that.” Derwydd nodded. “She's... irrepressible, indomitable, that sort of thing.” he said, and Maryn nodded in agreement.
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“Not that Lana's never had a moment of doubt here, but it does feel that way.” she said.
“She's something else for sure!” Belle grinned. “Ahh -- Sandra, the orb!” she then squeaked out, and Lysandra held it up to look at it again.
“That's what we wanted.” the werewolf-girl softly grinned.
“Hmm...?” Lizzy examined the orb herself, watching the swirl of colors inside. “It's almost like they're pointing.”
“What direction, though?” Healina wondered.
“It looks like... east by northeast,” Belle replied.
“That looks right,” Derwydd agreed. “I'll update my friends -- or should we wait for them here, actually?”
“Let's do that.” Lizzy nodded back. A gust of wind blasted past them then, and a second snow-falling began. “Snow again? Really?”
“Really.” Lysandra shrugged.
“How do you two stand that?” Lizzy remarked bemusedly to her and Belle.
“I'm a werewolf.” the older girl shrugged, and Maryn shuddered, a quiet consternation on her face.
“And I have a snuggle-spot.” Belle cheerily quipped, settling herself in one of Lysandra's coat-pockets.
“Totally thought you were going to set down in her bandeau.” Lizzy returned with a nonplussed look on her face.
“Sometimes!” the pixie-girl giggled.
“Unlike Jannie, we don't like to spook or discomfort the high-schoolers,” Lysandra smirked.
“I don't think she does it on purpose though,” Healina softly smiled.
A few minutes later, Snow Dancer and Cloveroak appeared to join them. They then resumed their trek through the snow-bound forests, heading in the direction they had gotten from observing the orb, which did start glowing brighter as they continued. Finally they came to a wayport in the midst of a grove of oak and pine. A few paces away, they could see a cave; icicles hung like fangs at its entrance, giving it the appearance of a snowy monster waiting for prey to enter its mouth.
“It wouldn't surprise me if that's what it actually was, though,” Snow Dancer remarked as Derwydd voiced this thought.
“O-M-G. Right?” Lizzy agreed.
“That'd be just what we need,” Healina shook her head, “An adventure to find the orb in the belly of some snow monster.”
“Ooh, now I'm revved up!” her friend grinned.
“Oh, you.” the Sea Elf sighed, faintly grinning.
“What about the orb you guys have?” Cloveroak wondered. It was now glowing radiantly and with what seemed like an excitement.
“I guess that this must be the place,” Lysandra remarked as she observed it.
“And if we fail, at least we got the wayport.” Maryn said.
“All the same, let's not fail, in case those losers in Dragonholt actually get their orb,” Lizzy said determinedly, and the others laughed.
“We'll see what we can do!” Snow Dancer grinned, and they headed inside the cave with caution -- just in case it actually was a monster waiting for prey to enter its mouth.