As two kobolds and a lizardess slipped through the tundra the trio's progress was watched by another. Icy blue eyes watched on a sphere of pure ice as the trio escaped from the cavern and trudged through the cold land not far from where their watcher stood. With a wave of a delicate hand the image faded, the sphere showing her impassive face. Alustriea neither smiled nor frowned, rather she turned from the ice ball and strode to her nearby seat.
Much like the room she was in, the throne was made of a thick blackish blue ice, the walls, the floor. All shared this stone like material. Were Xing Lei or Osilliaice present they'd find the temperature well below freezing yet their beloved elf sat upon the icy throne in a gown that plunged down between her pert breasts showing off much of her front. She neither shivered nor felt discomfort, despite the revealing attire being little better than silk to ward off the cold.
Sat upon the chair she focused her thoughts feeling the qi rushing through her veins. Spiritual Pressure blossomed around her making the very room creak and crackle under the strain. The near by door burst inwards as another elf swept in. His pale hair was cut short and he wore finery that would make any royal envious, yet his angular face was twisted in a ferocious grimace, his pale lips parted revealing a fanged maw as he pointed towards the woman, screaming at her, "Wench, are you trying to crush my castle again?!"
If Alustriea heard the angry words she did not show it, her slender frame sat motionless on her throne of ice breathing in and out slowly as the Spiritual Pressure in the room increased, its radius flaring violently to smash into the other individual who was thrown through the wall by the door. Emerging from the icy rubble he snarled, scales rippled across his face as the elven features bled into something more fiendish, his mouth opening impossibly wide as he exhaled a gout of sleet towards her.
For whatever he expected to happen, he would be sorely disappointed. The frosty cone had passed no more than an inch into the room before hitting something akin to a wall and splayed over its surface. The elf yet non-elf continued to exhale yet the cone of frost continued to curl against an unseen restriction. When at last he stopped, the elven featured one gaped at the spiked wall of ice that neatly cut the room in a curved divide. Pulling himself completely from the wreckage of the wall he walked closer and touched one of the freezing juts before jumping back as it cracked and fell sending a cascade of sharp icy chunks to the floor.
Beyond, Alustriea sat casually upon her throne as if naught but time had passed.
Running a hand through his dishevelled hair he was about to charge forward when a slender hand touched his shoulder. Glancing back his eyes narrowed seeing the dark skinned Loss behind him, a frown creased her otherwise unearthly beautiful face as she shook her head then walked off beckoning him to follow. Glancing between Goddess and elf he snarled and stalked out slamming the door closed in his wake, though the act did nothing but dislodge another chunk from the gaping hole beside it.
Stalking into what could only be a throne room, ice covered all as the elf stomped past the giggling Goddess and threw himself upon an icy throne that was far less impressive than the one in the room high above. Dropping his narrow chin on his fist the elf squinted in displeasure as Loss continued to giggle at his rather surly attitude. "You promised an ally, she rebuffs me still!"
Loss laughed heartily at the petulant exclamation, shaking her head she looked the disgruntled elf in the eye and shrugged, "I promised a potential ally, I did not promise you a consort. There is a difference."
The elf snarled, his other hand slamming down on the ice covered armrest shattering the frozen wood as the slender fist transformed into a scaled claw. The sharp talons tore into the throne wood and the remaining ice. The sound of ripping clothing rang out in the otherwise silent hall as the elven form gave way to a draconic man shape much akin to Destorianaxe when she assumed her dragoness form. Only rather than a seductive and overtly busty Lizardfolk this one was jet white, each scale shimmered like a gemstone. A thick head fin trailed back from between his eyes and over his scalp like a spiney mohawk.
Glaring at Loss his jaws exhaled a freezing mist as his sapphire like eyes narrowed in building anger. Unlike the elf however, he was not so foolish to try and blast Loss. While he did not fear her trying to strike him back, she was the Goddess of misery and misfortune, sapping his luck and having unfortunate events plaguing him constantly would be her reprisal. He could only let it go, settling back in the throne and sighed, "She acts as if I am the servant, worse still is those accursed powers of hers. Were it spellcraft I could easily push through it but this is unlike any spell I've ever seen!"
Loss drifted around the rather irate dragon man chuckling all the while, "It is a new power introduced by her lover, and now through her you have the opportunity to harness it for us. You need only coax it from her lips."
He growled gripping the remaining arm of his thrown yelling out in frustration, "The wench doesn't speak dammit! She sits there aloof and mocking me! I try to get close and she rebuffs me! Me! The Great Terror of the North! The Freezing Death! Me! She mocks me so like I am naught but a whelp before her!"
Loss laughed and shrugged her smooth shoulders carelessly, "It is not my fault she is of the Western Reach elven Empire... they've had little interaction with your polar domain to take note of your... greatness... " The pause at that last claim had him roaring in rage. Even his supposed ally mocks him!
In the distant room an icy blue eye opened as the frustrated roar echoed through the otherwise silent keep, a sneer of disdain touched her smooth lips listening to her host rage in his impotence. Alustriea exhaled drawing in her spiritual pressure, her room groaned as the ice being pushed away settled back in place. It had been a passing thought to spy on her former husband and sister, little had she guessed it would reveal an aspect of cultivation that had so many uses.
Rising from her seat she walked to an open door to the side, the crystalline portal swinging open as she stepped forth onto a snow dusted balcony. Lazily she leaned on the icy railing staring into the distance as if her naked eyes could still see the pair being guided through her new domain. Calvexanores was a child. A great white dragon to be sure, but like his Whitescale lizardfolk he was quick to anger and tried to solve everything through violence, it was mere sport to anger him enough to storm off like a spoiled child.
Lazing against the rail her gaze shifted to the side, a soft blue silhouette perched upon the rail watching her with curiosity, 'You miss them.'
Alustriea exhaled, for the first time her breath was warm causing a soft haze before her pale lips, "Naturally. He is my husband, she is my sister."
The silhouette tilted its head, 'Yet you came with me without question.'
Alustriea glanced over, the vague outline of a soft blue avian stared back at the elf, "It had to happen, she would not leave me alone unless I did as I did."
The avian hopped closer looking Alustriea in the eye, it's own eyes were a pair of blazing pin pricks that burned with rage, 'You will keep our pact?'
Alustriea stared back evenly, lifting a hand to smooth ruffled feathers that did not physically exist for this spectre, "I shall."
The spectre hedged closer, the temperature plummeted as fresh frost began spreading across the balcony, 'All of it? Even knowing it will be painful for him?'
Alustriea ignored the frost that crept across her limbs as she stared down the spectral avian, "As was agreed."
The spectre hopped back as if preening its feathers, 'Very well, we have an accord.' The thin head turned as if sensing something, 'She comes, I shall be watching.' With those last words the spectre vanished leaving the elf to shake the frost from her arms. Turning back to the room she watched as Loss stepped forth from behind her throne.
Loss sighed watching as the elf walked like a ghost from the balcony, her bare feet gliding across the frozen floor as if it were warm sand. She watched Alustriea reclaim her seat, those icy eyes drifting closed as if the Goddess was nothing more than smoke to her. She could well understand the dragon's displeasure. When that entity had contacted her she thought this an exceptional way to bother the elf and her kobold lover, but little had she guessed that entity and the elf having intertwined so readily.
The former joyful elf became cold, distant. She shrugged off her former family as if they were not but ants. Yet this cold shoulder extended to her allies as well. The dragon was soundly ejected from her presence out of hand, only tolerating him when Loss herself forced a compromise, but even the Goddess herself was being pushed out as the entity consumed more and more of the elf. She had tried her usual reprisals but Alustriea seemed to have been elevated out of her reach.
Such should not be possible.
Loss had tried speaking with the entity again but it avoided her. Loss was swiftly losing patience with her 'friend'. This was not what they agreed. The elf was to leave Xing Lei and the childe of Destorianaxe and join the cause of Calvexanores. Yet, while not hostile, Alustriea had locked herself in this room and ignored any request she or the dragon made of her. Her smile waivered. Much as he had tried, she too had sought to 'punish' the upstart... yet no matter the times she tugged on Alustriea's fate string it refused to budge.
Loss stared at the back of the elf maidens head. What was this entity? Tyrix had introduced them and she was starting to see her Father's chaotic influence in the beings nature but as to what it was? More importantly was how it sealed the elf's fate from her tampering! Not even Tyrix, one of the old gods, could so restrict the rights of one of his children. Yet this entity completely removed her ability to sow ill fortune into Alustriea's fate!
Crossing her arms she stared at Alustriea. "Are you with us?"
Alustriea's head turned slightly and gave the hint of a nod, as before the elf did not answer the Goddess, hell's she did not even look at her! Loss grit her teeth and lunged at that fate string again, her cruel claws lashing at the future thrusting ill fortune across every branching path the elf might take, yet when she calmed down the string was unblemished. It shone whole and hearty as if mocking the Goddess. Tearing at her thick mane of raven hair Loss was losing her composure in the Heavenly realms. Dark storms, disasters and plagues swept out from her domain as she raged and roared, the demigods and other celestial caretakers were swept away in the flood of misery she had unleashed on that single mortal thread.
Yet it shone brightly.
In a different section of the high heavens a dark red skinned man laid in bed with a stunning drow woman. Her naked curves pressed to his muscular body as they collided in passionate desire. Her slender hands caressed his curved horns as his thick hands roughly held her hips. Her cries were the song of sirens, the deadly keen of horrid banshees. Her moans were the sweetest whispers of succubi. Tyrix finally collapsed atop his consort, drawing in great breaths of her scent, were a mortal present the sheer flood of aphrodisiacs would burst not only their heart but also their genitalia so over powering was the lust personified by the drow goddess.
Tyrix huffed looking into the distance, he could see his daughter tearing apart her domain... and he simply smiled returning to his consorts intoxicating embrace.