Lian'Wa'Runda's core went on to explain that the only way it could completely stop the storms would be by taking in all of the energy contained within them directly into itself.

A very dangerous procedure that could make it explode if it tried to contain the energy for too long.

"That's hardly an issue," Ellie said with a deep roll of the eyes. "It's not like anyone wants to live here. We can just leave when you make the storm go away. it doesn't need to be permanent."

"... No one?" There was sadness in its tone. "Not even a single person?"

Daz agreed with Ellie but he didn't voice his thoughts the same way as his less considerate companion. "I'm sure we can find cold-acclimated people who can make this place into a real home. I can already think of some monster packs who'd love this place. We even have a hatching Frost Phoenix."

"Really? That sounds wonderful. It gets lonely... Even when it was just my former master after his family passed away, I would spend so much time alone..." the icicle expressed.

"I promise. I'll find beings who'll love it here, for now though, back to the storm. We don't need it gone for long like Ellie said. How much time can you contain it with yourself?" Daz questioned.

The icicle hummed a bit, happier now with his promise in place, and replied, "An hour, maybe two. I do not feel comfortable doing it for any more than an hour though. I don't want to risk dying."

Daz nodded. "Okay, and how frequently can you do that?"

There was no way everyone could evacuate this place in that short of a time frame. The snow was heavy and thick so even without the storm, traversing the roadless terrain to the portal that led to North Dakota would take hours, if not days.

It wasn't an issue for those with the power to fly or move quickly but not everyone had invested in those directions, giving Daz some cause for concern.

'Three, maybe four times a day. Also, when I do retract my storms, the white-robed ones invade,' Icicle said. 'At least, they did the last two times my former master asked me to clear the storm so he could unbury the city.'

Daz and Ellie both wore interested expressions. 'Lord Lit'ur was powerful enough to dig out an entire city from the snow in just an hour? He really got cheated by grabbing Hamson. Poor guy.'

"The Truthians?" Ellie asked, failing to hide the mass of bloodlust that eked out of her very being.

The icicle, ironically enough, shivered. "Her presence is very unnerving. Please have her leave. I do not feel safe with her so close to me."

"Ellie," Daz called in a helpless voice. "Please, I understand you but control your urges."

Ellie frowned but nodded nonetheless and reeled in her thirst for the death of those that had taken Idris and Sandy from her.

Daz stroked his chin and wore an appreciative look on his face before saying, "I'm sorry about her. The ones in white, they wear robes that look like this, yes?"

Daz took out the outfit of the cardinal he had slain during the attack on Fort Home. He had kept it to help with psychological warfare when the fighting began but it would seem it could come in handy here as well.

The icicle hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yes. Not identical, but yes, very similar. You surely saw the white-robed people in the hallway leading to the throne room. Dead and frozen."

"So it is the Truthians. How did you or Lord Lit'ur kill them? They cut off access to the system as well as esper powers," Daz explained.

"She still unnerves me..." the crystal said regarding Ellie before it sighed and answered, "I know little of this 'system'. My former master spoke of it from time to time as the one who led his ancestors here and as the one who still binds his blood to this 'primitive land'. Esper powers, I have never heard of. I simple froze those white-robed ones when they tried to take advantage of the lowered storm to attack my master. My master did not need to lift a finger."

Daz's eyes opened wide. "They... they can't just stop you from hurting them? Or your storm, for that matter?"

"No? Should they be able to?" the icicle asked back.

Both Daz and Ellie were stumped.

"What- It- This thing, it can, what, negate their power to cancel shit?" Ellie asked Daz, looking for answers.

"No... No, that's not it..." he rubbed his chin as he saw an answer for this claim form in his mind. "It just isn't affected... It's not an item bound to a person nor is it a skill. It's a living, sentient being. It's already in its natural state. Everything about it is permanent. This... This changes a lot... I could go to war and use Grid. The city belongs to me but it's just like Lian'Wa'Runda."

"That's me. I am Lian'Wa'Runda," the icicle's feminine voice chiming in proudly.

"Yes, yes you are," Daz replied with a smile on his face.

The childishness of these sentient crystals could be rather endearing at times, he felt.

Advanced Cold Resistance has reached Level 8.

Daz had to take his hand away at that point as he winced. One clean blow would knock his hand straight off from the wrist. It had been entirely frozen.

Ellie nodded in excitement, understanding. "That's why guns work. We just need stuff that's already natural! But their power to turn stuff to ash..."

Daz shook his head. "Not a concern provided you remain at a distance."

At that point, the man-sized icicle seemed to have noticed Daz's injury. "Oh... Oh my. I... I did not wish to harm you. I'm sorry."

He smiled kindly at it. "It's fine. I did it on purpose. I'm levelling a skill. That's something related to the system."

"Oh... I see... Will you recover?" it asked in concern.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Daz nodded. "Yes, give it a few minutes and it'll be back to normal."

The icicle seemed relieved. Daz turned his attention away from the crystal to think more about what Ellie had said.

'I already have plans to buy alien sniper rifles and train people how to use them but this adds a whole new layer of offensive potential to our side. With this, we could easily go to war next month. With Lian'Wa'Runda and Fort Sky alongside the foreign aid, the scales have just become that little bit more balanced,' Daz thought with a grin.

What an unexpected harvest from this exploratory adventure. He had only come here to investigate the declining temperature.

It was just a distraction to keep his mind off of the coming war while he waited for moonlight to gather at El Dorado but now it had turned into something so much more.

"One last question, Icicle. Well, two. Can you move the portals that lead here? That'll fix our evacuation issues if so," Daz asked. "And how can I move you?"

It quickly replied, "Oh, yes, I can. As for how to move the globe that contains me..."

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"Hey, look. The storms are subsiding again, Brother Royce," James said as he rubbed his eyes. "I really don't think we should go through though. We've already lost two groups of our sisters and brothers."

Brother Royce shook his head. "Not lost, merely witnessed them return to the Lord's side."

A deep look entered brother Royce's eyes as he stared at the large portal. "We have no choice but to enter. The endless snow must stop. Perhaps we, too, shall return to the Lord's side today but know that we don't go in vain."

James expression tightened up a bit at that. He didn't want to die, whether in vain or not.

He didn't make that known however and instead said, "You're right. We have to set up the gateway. Then Cardinal Matthew can fix this whole mess for us."

"I'll go wake up the others, Brother James. Can I leave packing our tents to you?" Brother Royce requested of him.

"Of course," he immediately answered then got to work.

As he was ripping out the pegs keeping their tents attached to the icy earth, James couldn't help but think about New Earth and its idle monarch.

'Why doesn't he ever get off of his throne? I mean, we sacked an entire city and almost destroyed a few more including his capital. It's clear they have no chance. What a coward, that Daz Crowthorne,' James thought to himself.

'How did he ever manage to beat Cardinal Sarah in a one-on-one fight?' he thought to himself as he began folding up his tent. 'That's the only reason we haven't already destroyed his entire kingdom as he sits there on his throne, answering the pleas of his ignorant sheep.'

It infuriated him. Why had the young king not declared a full-on frontal attack immediately? Why, instead, did he broadcast to the entire world a pitiful plea for help from those with Embers?

Of course, James wasn't looking down on Embers. They could be dangerous if used correctly but nothing could escape the Truth of God.

What was the use of a fancy Ember if one look and a few seconds were all it took to turn you into ash? 'He's afraid. So what if he managed to trick Cardinal Sarah somehow? Only a coward sits on his throne all day after we so easily delivered such vast amounts of his blind flock to the Lord's side.'

He didn't want to die today but James was a perfectly pious man who believed in the one True Lord with all of his heart.

"Are you done, Brother James?" Brother Royce asked. "I've woken everyone and we're ready to begin before the storm reappears."

James nodded as he stored the last of the tents into his ring, a treasure gifted to him by a bishop, showing his promise to rise within the ranks of the church.

This world would belong to the Church of Truth sooner or later and James would be damned if he wasn't an important figure within it when that happened.

They would succeed here and escape, allowing Cardinal Matthew to deal with this accursed place.

"Excellent. Then, let us move swiftly and with purpose," Brother Royce declared.

James followed in formation with his fellow brothers and sisters as they were led by Brother Royce through the portal.

"Wow. They really did come. You weren't wrong. Close the portal, please, Icicle," a stoic and powerful voice said as soon as they appeared on the other side, surprising them.

James looked around and saw nothing but snow. The portal had closed though just as the voice had ordered, which worried him.

"Above us!" Brother Royce yelled.

James looked up and saw the voice's owner. 'Is that... High King Daz Crowthorne? Who's that next to him?'

A woman no older than the king was by his side, sitting upon a metallic sphere with fury plastered on her face.

Her golden blonde hair and her rounded glasses did nothing to hide how much contempt she felt for him and his fellow members of the one Truth Faith.

"Remember, Ellie. No closer than 50-metres. Stay out of that range and you're free to go wild," the man who should still be at Fort Home of New Earth upon his comfortable throne said.

He then, shockingly, entered the range of God's Will and God's Truth.

"Fool!" James yelled. "I don't know why you're here or if this is just a clone or an illusion of some sort but you won't be leaving this place alive!"

He channelled the divine power within him and attacked the king with it.

The man didn't plummet to the ground as was expected but his hair shifted from grey to brown, his eyes, likewise, change from their light grey hue to a boring murky dirt colour.

His halo disappeared and any items he was wearing became nothing more than trinkets or baubles.

James had no idea how he was still flying or what might be within the black suitcase he was holding but he and his brothers and sisters had already won this fight before it could even begin.

The fact he hadn't disappeared entirely all but proved it was the High King of New Earth in the flesh, meaning they had a chance here to kill the biggest thorn in their religion's side.

He and his fellow believers in the one True God directed God's Truth right at the flying king. Within moments he'd be nothing but a pile of ash.

James was grinning from ear to ear. The amount of merits he and his team members would earn from destroying one of the church's biggest annoyances, one which had worried the higher-ups for months on end, would be immeasurable.

'Bisho- no, maybe even a deacon. I'm going to become so important!' James praised the one True God in his mind to no end.

His jubilation, however, came to a somewhat swift end when an unimpressed monarch gazed down upon them like they were fools.

"Did your leader not tell you why she fears me? I cannot be turned to ash. I am born of the ash," High King Daz Crowthorne claimed.

He then shook his head and said, "15 Truthians, all of whom seem to be members of the lowest of rungs. There isn't even an abbot among your numbers. Ellie, you take the three over there. I'll kill the rest immediately."

James watched as the floating king's briefcase opened on its own and before he could react, all he saw was a sharp glint in the corner of his eye. The next moment, eternal darkness greeted him as he died.

----------------------------------------

'Not a single one had ranged attacks. Not that they could have done anything even if they did. They were way too weak,' Daz thought as he watched Ellie bombard the three he had singled out for her with explosions and bullets.

She seemed to be pulling them out of a separate dimension. Likely an item or skill used solely to store ammunition, he thought.

The three were panicking and didn't even have enough focus to maintain the system restrictions placed on Daz, returning him to his former Archreaping glory.

He looked down at himself and nodded thoughtfully. 'Using the tiny gems to fly is too restrictive. When I get back I need to find a tailor to help make a set of underclothes for me. Underclothes lined with gems at every seam.'

It would be heavy but far less unwieldy and more freeing when he couldn't use Hamson to fly.

Daz frowned a little as he heard Ellie laugh in a crazed state while she slowly tore holes into the three Truthians with her ammo.

She was torturing them at this point. Hell, two of them were begging for mercy by a swift death.

"Where was my mercy when you sacked Fort Home?!" Ellie screamed in response to their pleas. "Where was Idris's mercy when you murdered him?! What of Sandy's?! What of everyone else's?!"

Daz flew in front of her and grabbed her shoulder tightly. "Enough. Kill them. Do not become them."

Ellie snapped her head in his direction and even moved some of her bullets his way. He didn't dodge them and just let them bounce off of his body.

As if mere bullets could harm him. She would have to use her explosive rounds to make him even consider blocking them. "If you do not kill them now, I will do it for you."

Ellie seemed to calm a bit upon hearing that. The next moment, a bullet pierced the heads of all three Truthians.

She looked down as she breathed so hard and fast Daz almost thought that she was hyperventilating. "S-Sorry, it... it was just... they... they deserved it."

Daz nodded. "Death, yes, torture, no. I understand your anger, Ellie. I too, grieve for Sandy. Use your anger, don't let it use you. Maybe you can turn this outburst into something worthwhile. Return to the palace before the storms resume. Meditate. You could possibly earn an Ember from this. That would be another tool to fight the Truthians with."

Ellie nodded, clearly seeing the appeal in that suggestion. She then flew off at max speed with her metal sphere.

Daz looked down at the 15 corpses beneath him and then heard the voice of the icicle.

"What will you do now?" it asked him.

"Search their bodies then send off their souls. All beings of Earth deserve rest, deluded or not," he answered.