"Home? So we're going back to the Glacial Outpost!" Oritz asked.

I gave a nod. "We better move quickly, we have to be at the Coral Ridge in three days."

Adonia returned from the back room. "Is everything alright? Or do you still have injuries that need to be tended to?"

"Mom, can we talk? I'm... I'm going with Avian on an expedition." Melora said outright.

Adonia remained expressionless for a moment. "No. So if that's everything I wish you well on your way back Soulwielder."

Melora clenched her fists. "I said I'm going with him! It's nothing too dangerous, just a trip to stop some crazy guy."

"Melora, we will talk about this madness later," Adonia said sharply.

Oritz and I backed up towards the door. I wasn't really going to stick around for this.

"Mom you can't act so condescending. I'm not a child. Just a few years and I'll be old enough to move out and live my own life." Melora snapped.

Adonia stood close to Melora. "Melora, that is enough!" She seemed to be seething anger from her scales.

Melora took a step back. "I'm going! Let's leave!" Melora charged out of the building.

Oritz stared down at his bare wrist. "Oh look at the time we better go!" He practically picked me up and dragged me out of the house.

We met up with Melora down the road. "Alright, let's go to Frigidity."

I gave her a baffled look. "You can't just leave, your mom is going to go berserk when you get back!"

"What about your mom? You told me that she didn't approve of this at all, yet you went anyways. How do you think she'll react?" Melora snapped.

Of course, I had considered what would happen when I came home, I just assumed it would be years down the line so the whole thing would've blown over.

"That's different. This is my life. For you it's just a one-time expedition." I argued.

Melora chuckled bitterly. "Well, I need this one-time expedition. The rest of my life is going to be a betrothal for 50 years until they get sick of me and I'm left alone with my kids!" She turned away from us.

Oritz's expression changed to a more sympathetic one. I could tell why that life sounded sad. A husband who didn't love you, getting abandoned...wait.

"Melora," I paused, thinking of how to phrase it. "You don't have to be like your mother, you don't need to be in a betrothal. Be free, I'll show you how to really be free. Come with us." I extended my hand. Melora turned and her memorable smile returned. She shook my hand.

"Who would've thought that I'd be offered to join you in the end?"

Oritz looked at the surroundings. "I have no idea where we are."

"But I do. C'mon I'll show you where the nearest transporter is!" Melora led us through the weaving streets to one of the city's exits. A small shack with a transporter was set up next to the exit.

The transporter has a small screen that allowed us to set the location. I set it to Glacial Outpost in Frigidity and the transporter hummed to life.

I stepped in first. In a flash of light, I arrived at the Glacial Outpost. Fortunately the Temperature Regulation device I had was still functional so I didn't feel cold for long. Melora appeared after me and I handed her a device. Oritz arrived last and smiled.

"It's good to be home. Well, not really home, but some form of home." Oritz informed us.

I pushed the door open. "Let's find Xorg and then get to the Coral Ridge." We made our way to the control room where Commander Xorg was standing.

"Commander Xorg, we need your permission for Oritz to join me on an expedition to Fiorione," I explained quickly, I was pretty anxious to just go. We had a lot to do and not much time.

The commander scratched his chin. "Are you sure you are ready for this? Expeditions are infamously dangerous." Xorg peered out the window.

"Sir, there must be some way to convince you," Oritz said, standing at attention.

Xorg waved his hand. "At ease. There is one way," a grin spread across his face. "You must defeat me in a duel!"

"Alright so are we doing it in here?" Melora asked.

Xorg sighed. "No no, we have to do it in the arena. Sorry, it's just been a while since I've had anything to do, this place really is boring. Though I insist that you take today to prepare. After all, Oritz isn't back on duty until tomorrow so if we fought now I'd be attacking a citizen instead of a soldier."

I rose an eyebrow. "How is that better?"

"I can battle soldiers, can't fight citizens." Xorg explained.

Melora tapped her foot impatiently. "Then we'll get ready and beat you up tomorrow." She walked out of the room.

I shrugged and followed her, Oritz being the last to leave the room. "Melora what are you doing?" She has gathered together a mound of snow in the middle of the hall and was resting on it.

She opened an eye. "What does it look like? Trying to sleep."

"Sleep? It's one in the afternoon!" Melora's eyes widened.

"Crap it's already that late?"

"MerPeople normally sleep sporadically. They can sometimes go weeks without sleeping but when they need to sleep they really need to sleep." Oritz explained.

I nodded in understanding. "That explains the moodiness, the sass, the impatience, the sarcasm, the disrespect to her mother..."

Melora chuckled. "Yeah no, that's just who I am. Now go train or whatever." She shut her eyes.

We walked down the hall. "So do you want to get ready or do you need a nap too?" I asked.

Oritz lead me down a specific hall. "I've got just the place to help us prepare." He pushed a door open leading to a giant circular room. The roof was the ice of the glacier, light shone through the ice giving the room a nice glow.

"Commander Xorg will most likely hold the duel here. So let's practice here." Oritz strode out to the center of the room. He drew his swords and swung them around.

Oritz tossed his swords into his hands to fit his position so that he could still deliver devastating blows. I had always found the Yeti fighting style incredible, all four of their arms were useful so they could battle like no other creature.

I practiced a few elemental attacks myself, I was going to steer away from water. I didn't want to hurt Xorg. This was simply a test of strength.

"So how is Melora going to help out without, well, killing Xorg?" I asked, twirling my staff.

Oritz finished a technique. "She'll either have to sit the match out or if we can get our hands on some Frostroot she could use those."

"Aren't those only found in the Melting Point?" I confirmed, Oritz bobbed his head. "Then I guess she can't fight. Melora'll be pissed."

I put my staff back in the sling for it. "That's enough training for now. Today's been absolutely exhausting, I'm going to get some food and go to sleep." I walked out the door.

The next day.

I awoke in the barracks and slid out of the bed. I glanced at a clock and it told me that I had woken up at 6 in the morning. "Man I slept like a rock." I stretched and proceeded to get ready.

By the time I reached the arena, Oritz, Melora, and Xorg were talking. Melora glanced at me. "About time you got here."

"It's barely past 6." I retorted.

"Technically you're a little late, normally those on the morning guard need to be up a few ticks ahead of 5:30. Though, I won't fault you, you didn't even spend a day on duty." Xorg told me.

I waved it off. "So are we going to duel now?"

"Indeed. Melora if you'd be so kind as to set up the field." Xorg asked Melora, she put her hands together and roots erupted from the snow-glazed floor. They were massive and constantly moving, looking for something to grab onto.

My mouth was agape at what had just unfolded. Xorg noticed. "You see, there are giant plants frozen deep underground. Originally before our great and mystical Lord dimmed the sun this realm was flourishing with plant life. However the Lord wanted something more, so he dimmed the sun and ice washed over the realm."

Melora woozily walked to the entrance and leaned against the doorway. "You guys have fun."

Xorg drew his blades. "I hope you're truly prepared, I'm not holding back!"

Oritz unsheathed his swords and I readied my staff. "We're ready, we just might surprise you Xorg."

Xorg charged at us, a plant tendril reached out to grab him but he slashed it. Then he spun himself, one of his blades were set to hit Oritz. Luckily my Yeti friend was ready and he intercepted the sword.

"Let's try this one, flaming cutter!" My staff ignited with fire, luckily the flames didn't burn me or my staff. I ran and tried attacking Xorg. The Commander stopped me with his other sword.

A plant tendril reached out and curled around my ankle. I was yanked away from the battle, my staff slipped from my fingers. The plant carried me into the air.

I noticed I was on a collision course with a giant root. I angled myself so I hit the root with my feet. The small root released me and I climbed on top of the large root.

I looked up and saw that Oritz and Xorg were both on top of giant roots that were ramming into each other. Oritz clearly couldn't keep it up much longer, the exhaustion was all over his face.

"I need to find my staff." I scanned the ground, my staff was surrounded by tiny roots in the middle of the room. "Of course." I ran across the root until I had to jump onto another one.

The root tried shaking me off, I almost fell at one point. How am I ever going to get to my staff? Looking up Xorg and Oritz we're still colliding, I could feel the ice shards falling from the collisions.

Ice? That's it! I got as close as I could to the staff. "Oritz! Freeze the roots around my staff!" Oritz ducked under Xorg's swipe, he opened his mouth and a wave of frosty air completely froze all the small roots. My staff was glazed in ice but I wasn't worried about that.

Getting a running start I leaped over to my staff, landing in a roll I scooped up the wooden tool. "Now let's stop these roots! Iceberg Stairway!"

The ground below me erupted into an iceberg, more icebergs appeared in front of me leading to Commander Xorg. I hopped across them. "Flaming cutter!" My staff once more ignited with fire, using the momentum I swung the staff at Xorg.

The Yeti moved to intercept but Oritz charged at him one more time. Xorg barely blocked his strike. The two simultaneous blows were strong enough to knock him off of the root and fall to the ground.

Xorg groaned. "My head hurts. I yield, you guys win." The roots returned beneath the ground and Xorg slowly got up. "Nice job, I didn't see that one coming. You kids will be just fine on that expedition."

Melora strode over to us. "So can we go then? We've got about two days to get to the Pearl Trench for the enemy attack."

"Then we better get moving. It can't hurt to be early." Oritz said.

"Thanks for everything Xorg. We'll be back soon enough." I told him.

"Commander Xorg, you look like you just fought a water demon, my friend!" A voice echoed from the entrance.

A man with solid green eyes and long untamed white hair stared us down. He was wearing bulky red armor separated into various sections. One side had a mechanism filled with knives. On his waist was a sheath for a katana.

The sheath seemed to emanate a low orange glow. The man appeared to be 17 and stood taller than me but a little shorter than Oritz.

"Dustin, it has been such a long time! Com, let us catch up. I need to rest anyway." Xorg motioned Dustin over. Dustin walked over and glanced at us.

Dustin scratched his chin. "Interesting. Who might they be?"

"I'm Avian, a Soulwielder. That's Melora and Oritz." I introduced.

Dustin smiled faintly. "This is just what I was looking for. You three, come with me. We're going out to the Frozen Wilds. There is an Ice Dragon waiting for us."

"Wait what? We have to get to the Pearl Trench for a battle in two days." I hastily explained.

"It will only take two days. You'll have plenty of time to make it back to where you need to go. I need a group like you to join me, a Soulwielder, a MerWarrior, and a Yeti. The perfect team for this trip. Please join me, I would owe you a great debt." Dustin asked.

"You would be doing me a great favor if you did this. Dustin is a very close friend." Xorg added.

I looked at my friends. Oritz has a puzzled expression and Melora just shrugged. "I guess I'm deciding. We'll go with you."

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A day late again? Man I'm bad at this. Well here's today's chapter! Thanks so much for reading this chapter!

Today's Question of the Day is: What's your favorite TV show?

That's everything for now. I hope you enjoyed and have a great day!