Liv stepped between the shards of crystalline ice growing out of the ground, crevasses forming in their wake. Carefully, she moved past a particularly big bush while avoiding a long spike behind her-Liv had learned, the hard way, that this ice was sharp. Moving past, Liv continued to walk down the path, pulling her newly pilfered coat closer. The merchant she'd taken from had been an easy target-she just floated the jacket away from his cart while keeping him distracted. The ground rumbled, and Liv steadied herself, keen to avoid the ice. She looked around, alarmed, but let out a quick, relieved sigh when it was only another spike of ice finally punching through the ground. How do people live here?, she thought, looking around at the reflective pikes ready to impale her. Some were actually tinted red, and Liv hadn't wanted to ponder what had happened to cause that. The ice started to clear, and Liv walked faster down the path, which really had no use except to tell people which direction to go. The ice broke through everything, and the reinforced stone below her feet wasn't an exception.

  Liv looked up at the sky out of habit, attempting to tell the time. The only thing she saw was a sea of clouds, leading as far as the eye could see. No matter what the time was, it always snowed in Crystallien. Snow fluttered down from the sky and melted on Liv's body heat, slowly soaking the coat she wore. Grumbling, Liv continued, Whispering to the spirits of Cold around, asking them to avoid her. They, confused, crowded in closer to properly hear what she was asking. Sighing at the spirits-which she could only sense, not see-clustered around her, little motes of temperature combined in their effort to make her cold. Liv Whispered a "never mind" to them and left, walking faster. She should get there soon, right?

  As if it was an answer to her thoughts, Crystallien rose in front of her, the walls covered in crystalline spikes, many more of these red than the previous ones. Liv groaned. This would be so, so cold. Walking up to the gates, Liv nodded to the guard, who let her pass, finding nothing suspicious on her except the sword she had buckled on. Liv stepped through the gates, enhancing her mobility with a small amount of wind, but not enough to attract suspicions. Floating through the crowd, Liv arrived at an inn. The tavernkeeper jerked, surprised, when Liv showed up on a seat, asking for a room. Nodding, he led her upstairs, taking her to the room at the end of the hall. Giving her the key, the tavernkeeper walked away and let her in. Throwing off her coat, Liv locked the door and fell in front of the already roaring fireplace.

  She sighed. Here, there was heat. With a few words, Liv got the fire to rage hotter, helping the fire spirits by throwing some more wood in, after advising the wood spirits to vacate the area, which they did in a timely manner, jumping out of the logs into the wooden floor and walls, where more of their brethen lay. Liv huddled near the fire, getting her mind off of her quest for a brief moment as the heat settled into her bones. Then something replaced it. The aches. Her entire body ached, forcing Liv to immediately get up and fall asleep on her bed.

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  Waking up the next morning, Liv felt a trap right outside her bedroom door. A short rope of magic was placed which would set off an alarm if she exited her room. A small surge of anticipation surging up in her, Liv broke the rope and hid, waiting for whomever would investigate.

  She wasn't disappointed as a group of women and men walked to her door, armed and ready. "Where did she go? She definitely left her room," the leader said.

  A woman, wearing a bow and appearing to be a tracker, looked at the ground, then at the wall, and... the ceiling.

  "Sir, she appears to have, apparently, walked up the wall and upside down on the ceiling."

  The leader roared at her, turning so Liv could see his front. An unwashed chest covered in hair appeared, confirming him to be her first target as the reek hit her. "That's absurd! Where is she? I want the bounty, though we'll need to carry her head across those plains of ice."

  Liv shook her head, stepping out of the shadows with a bright smile. "Apparently, you want my head?"

  The tracker squeaked, jumping back in surprise as the leader almost drunkenly turned to face her. "Who are you?"

  A submissive man approached him from behind, whispering in his ear. Slapping him away, the leader walked over to her. "You're the one we need to kill."

  Pulling the axe off his back, he looked her in the eyes. "This is easier than I thought it'd be. I thought we would have to run around, chasing you! That's why I brought her," he said, spitting at the tracker. "But you came to us! Now, time to die," he said, pulling the axe back. "Trying this was a bad idea, whatever you were thinking of doing."

  The leader didn't know what made him suddenly stop and consider his decision, pulling his axe down and taking a step back. Perhaps it was the lack of fear in her eyes, or the sense of annoyance she gave off. Or perhaps it was the feel that he would be utterly dismembered. Then he pulled it over his head. She was a little girl, and he would win. There was no question to it.

  Liv shook her head at the man, raising his axe to chop her skull in two. "This isn't a fight you're going to win."

  The leader watched as Liv disappeared, carried away too quickly by the wind for him to see her move. He turned, seeing her pulling twin knives through the throat of the submissive man, the rest of the group dead. She looked at the daggers and tossed them away. "These are useless."

  Liv walked up to the leader and looked him in the eyes. Now the situation was reversed, not that Liv had ever felt threatened. She saw the man's fear as he slipped on a puddle of blood left by the tracker. Liv, sighing, shot a wind blade through his neck. She didn't want to do this, but she had to, or they would bring stronger friends after her. This would also end in the same result, but it would take longer. She needed time.

  Liv looked at the blood speculatively, seeing the spirits within. Perhaps, during the time she had right now, she could master blood?