Icy winds billowed through the mountains and the hearts of the Ardoni as the obsidian archway pulsated, still spilling sunlight into the dark night. All were so shocked that they were frozen to the spot. Finally, Zulius moved.
Aiming down from where he stood, he fired his crimson whirlwind at the Deathsinger. Ingressus moved to the side and it spun up fields of snow. Zulius then charged, firing his Song again.
"Clang!" Zulius thrust his staff forward and Ingressus blocked him with his sword. He had been stripped of his Songs, Three Prime Songs, no less, but he had enough strength to deal with this weakling. Ingressus spun around on the staff, taking out the Voltar from his back, and cut Zulius's Staff in half.
"How…" Zulius barely got his word out before he was stabbed in the chest. "Urgh!" He fell to the ground, his green markings fading into black.
Ingressus was now at the center of the clearing. Glancing up, he cast his gaze around the clifftops, and his gaze locked with Hadion Mendoris. The purple eyes were flitting from the red Ardoni in front of him, then to his sword, then to his Staff.
"Oh, believe me." The Deathsinger said matter-of-factly. "I'm as surprised as you are."
"Deathsinger." Shouted Hadion. He launched his Aggressium Song at the other. "I should have known you were responsible for this sinister plot."
"You are right." Ingressus beat off the Song easily and started walking towards Hadion. His feet made holes in the ankle-deep snow, yet he walked with ease, like he was on flat, dry ground. "You should have known." He said quietly, and his walk turned into a burst. He flew across the snow and struck Hadion in the stomach. Hadion looked down, his eyes still full of anger, and his markings dimmed to black.
"Voltaris!" Tygren held his sword high. "Attack!"
At the sight of their long-lost leader, now reincarnated, strength surged back into the red Ardoni. Together, they cut down each and every warrior come to stop them. The Peak of Velgrin returned to a scarlet glow as the yellow, green, blue, and purple colors blinked out one by one.
"How long has it been?" The Deathsinger addressed Lucidius as he stabbed Galadar in the neck. Blood spilled out onto the blade and the violet Ardoni collapsed in a black heap.
"One hundred and fifty four years, Ingressus." Lucidius turned towards his chief, removing his staff from his last kill.
"You had one hundred and fifty four years to prepare," Ingressus' voice remained calm, but Lucidius could almost feel the heat seething from his skin through the cold. "And STILL, I return to a battle?" Ingressus exploded.
Lucidius looked down at the snow. How should he phrase that it was Tygren leading the clan in Ingressus's absence, not him?
Ingressus did not inquire further. He has overestimated his clan and underestimated their enemies. But at least they should have…
"Where are my Prime Songs?" He asked.
"Thalleous Sendaris moved them before we could attack." Tygren pulled out Thalleous's former sword from another Sendaris and joined the scene. "But we…"
"You do not HAVE them?" Ingressus demanded.
"No, sir," Tygren apologized, he was now staring at the same patch of snow Lucidius was so keen about. It glowed orange from the sun still spilling through the portal. "But, we may know where one is." He tried to alleviate his failure.
"You MAY know where ONE is." The leader's anger was quite audible now as he mocked the Ardoni he had left in command.
Tygren and Lucidius were now quelling in fear. It was not their fault that they failed. Nor was it their luck that their superior was known as the "Deathsinger."
"Have you at least prevented the Enderknights' return?" Ingressus asked the next question on his list.
"No Enderknights have appeared since the Great War." Lucidius replied. "However," Tygren stomped on his foot, but Lucidius did not take the hint. "We were unable to retrieve the remaining Ender Dragon eggs."
Ingressus's face became stormier than a hurricane. His hands moved towards his staff. "And Achillean?" He raged.
"We heard you killed him before entering the portal." Tygren said quickly.
"Finally, some good news!" Exclaimed Ingressus. His posture relaxed and his brows unfurrowed. Tygren and Lucidius stopped examining the ground and looked up.
"Come," Ingressus announced to the Voltaris that remained. "We have much work to do and not a moment to waste."
The Ardoni marched out towards the north. As they left, the portal imploded on itself. The obsidian archway once more stood alone to witness the snow and ice of the barren Peak of Velgrin.
"Can't we just get food along the way?" Thundered Ingressus. "Time is of the essence. Why didn't you prepare before hand?" It had been four months and he is still no closer to even a single Prime Song.
"Um, no, sir." Tygren answered. "We used up all our food supply when we raided the villages. And we cannot work for others to get food. Mt. Velgrin is not exactly the best farmland. We only get one harvest per year."
Ingressus sighed. "What if we robbed bandits? They certainly have gold."
"The bandits are not as tame as they once were, sir." Lucidius said. "When we tried to claim the last Dragon Egg from two mercenaries, we lost seven against two. I alone survived."
"Fine, we'll wait."