Bali frowned at the frozen corpses, still exactly where Nix had left them when he originally melted his way into the city jail. She used a booted foot to sift through the pile of ashes near the table until she found a small black bracelet. "How many of these things did that bad lady make?"

Leva shared a glance with Ducky; it was her first time meeting the Ain'Dhassi ranger in person. "Tens of thousands, she's obviously a talented crafter." The dark chancellor bent down and picked up the bracelet; it no longer held any power.

Bali stomped her boot to rid it of the human ashes before gesturing to the back wall that was stacked high with firewood. "A working fireplace and plenty of wood to burn. How did this even happen?"

Ducky received the bracelet from Leva and turned it over in her hand while studying it. "It's a layered charm. The first part convinces the victim that they are warm."

The tiny ranger whistled softly, her breath sending out a large cloud in the room's frigid temperature. "They died thinking they were warm?" Bali suppressed a shudder. "I hope the Commander Nixes her."

Ducky nodded in agreement. "The second layer was a befuddlement spell, just enough to remove focus. Their life force was being siphoned during this entire process. It's quite possible that some of these people had a moment of clarity before their deaths but were too weak to do anything about it."

/Inferno: Ducky: The guards all have the bracelets, Nix. They likely died from a combination of that and the temperature.

/Inferno: Leva: There's no way she could have absorbed the life forces from this many people. She must be using a dark seed to store it.

/Inferno: Nix: Understood. Maintain your position in Dharta for now.

Nix sunk slowly into the rock for a few meters before adjusting his course to a steep angle that spiraled downward. His silver dread flames caused the solid rock to melt for several meters around him, with Pon following closely, that distance was nearly doubled. Floyd and Sori maintained a healthy distance; although neither were threatened by normal fire, the dread flames were different.

/Alpha: Floyd: Will the Scorched Earth members be able to produce a dread flame?

/Alpha: Nix: Some variant will likely result if Deidra's Temple sends them into its depths.

Nix dropped his Aura suddenly when the rock around him became a large open space. Pon moved beside him while Sori and Floyd equipped their ranged weapons. A breach had been opened and was being kept active by a peculiar-looking crystal formation.

/Alpha: Pon: Did you know a breach could be left open?

/Alpha: Nix: Unless you close them, they expire in a few minutes. I'm going to step through the breach; I want you to take the crystals.

/Alpha: Sori: Won't you be trapped there? Never mind... You'll open a breach back.

Nix smiled at the Lamia Acolyte. "Yep."

Without speaking further, the Inferno Leader stepped through the breach and disappeared. Pon swept up the crystals and stowed them away just as another breach opened up. The old mage jumped through, closely followed by Floyd and Sori.

***************

You have entered the City of Verynzai.

Nix's dread flame aura suddenly burned out, forcibly extinguished by nearly unfathomable power. The shock of its abrupt removal left him gasping for breath; a glance at Pon showed that the old mage had collapsed.

You may not use the element of fire within Khione's Stronghold.

/Alpha: Floyd: Verynzai? Isn't that the city that replaced Talumbir in the Sky Kingdom?

/Alpha: Nix: Una Chelonia renamed Jargon Kane's city Verynzai. However, the original Verynzai is part of Khione's fortress.

"You okay, Old Man?" Nix helped Pon to his feet, painfully aware that if the Fire Mage couldn't use his flames, he'd be essentially toothless.

Pon leaned heavily against the Inferno Leader; having his flames wrenched away from him had left him feeling weak and powerless. "This bitch..."

The breach had opened up into a large empty space. Several comfortable-looking chairs and a long table gave it the appearance of a conference room. Nix considered the other members of his group for a moment. Although both Floyd and Sori had impressive melee abilities, their defense relied heavily on the Scorched Earth element.

/Alpha: Nix: Update me on what a fire-ban costs you.

/Alpha: Pon: Everything, this old man is like teats on a boar.

/Alpha: Floyd: Both Sori and I have lost a large portion of our shielding and regenerative abilities, but our damage output hasn't changed significantly.

Nix considered the update for a moment; Inferno had to be more well-rounded. Although it was nearly painful to admit, upgrading the Fire-user's armor with a puppet like the Stalker or Hotter would be the quickest and most effective method of doing so. Muttering a curse, he opened a breach back to the cavern. "You three head in; I'm going to explore a bit and see if I can find anything."

Nix opened a breach back to the cavern and waited until everyone was in before closing it. Briefly, he considered summoning Mortimer but decided to hold off. He had arranged for the Titan Cub to work with Mortimus and Gil as they pushed back Deep Winter's forces within Everspire.

The square room they appeared in seemed somehow familiar, but Nix couldn't place it until he exited the room into a long hallway. "I'm in a Greater House..." To be specific, it bore a remarkable resemblance to the Greater House of Kane that Nix had spent time in when the Rat-Raid rescued Breach Commander Mtui from Talumbir.

Although the house seemed empty, the same couldn't be said for the city itself as a stealthed Nix found out a few minutes later when he stepped out of the front door. Pausing for a moment to take in the condition of Old Verynzai, he noted several things at once. The city power wasn't turned on, but instead, was lit by the presence of several dozen druid lamps. Old Verynzai appeared to be completely intact; a large sheet of White Ice created a dome over the structure where the city walls ended. It had been masterfully absorbed into the Ice Goddess's domain.

Unexpectedly, the city was bustling with activity. Squads of soldiers drilled in the nearby training yard while foot traffic along the road seemed fairly dense. Nix took it all in for a moment; this wasn't what he envisioned when he followed Cillia. This was an operating City-Fortress with substantial forces.

New Quest Available [Stealing Old Verynzai].

New Quest Available [Locate the Artifact].

A slow smile spread across the Inferno Leader's face as he made his way toward the city's control center. He was starting to piece together the facts. Priscillian must be trying to activate the City, something that would be impossible without one of two things; access to the city formerly known as Elynmoor or the city key of Old Verynzai. Thankfully neither of those was possible since they were both in the possession of the Inferno Guild Leader.

The control room entrance was unguarded when he found it a few minutes later. A fact that didn't surprise Nix, given that the city was located within Khione's Fortress and, in all likelihood, was completely powerless. He had received the city key from Una after freeing her from the clutches of Menial (chapter 295).

Nix stopped just inside the entrance and brought up his hud. Two quests were activated on his way in. He wanted to make sure that his actions wouldn't counter his ability to close the quests.

[War Quest: Day 1] Stealing Old Verynzai

Your forces have fought their way into the former Dragon City of Verynzai. If you have the necessary items, you may attempt to capture the city and use it as a Forward Operating Base.

Prerequisites: Master Key of Verynzai or Control of Elynmoor.

[Option 2]

If you possess neither of the necessary items, your next best course of action is to remove a large part of Khione's resources by destroying the city.

[War Quest: Day 1] Locate the Artifact

After gaining entrance into Verynzai, you've discovered the existence of an artifact that has crippled the offensive strength of your forces. Before you confront the Goddess of Winter, you must first deal with this.

Nix cursed the messed-up timeline. Inferno's forces were currently battling the forces of Deep Winter on three different planes. The artifact in question must be the cause of the fire ban. It would have to be dealt with eventually; much of Inferno's strength was steeped in flame.

"Should I retreat here and put these quests aside until our forces are ready?" Nix moved silently toward the diffusing chamber. He stopped when he saw her.

He knew from Bali's description that this was Priscillian. Dealing with her now might alert Khione to his presence. He was confident that he could finish the druid, but could he close the other two quests by himself? Would taking her down too early in the Deep Winter War result in unforeseen countermeasures? It basically comes down to one simple choice; kill her now or wait...