Inside of a long abandoned ruin, five people in strange-looking clothing sat around a camping fire, shielding themselves from the unending storm, waiting outside.
"According to our information, we will reach the chasm by tomorrow." A tall, slender man, covered in the hide of an unknown beast spoke, pulling a hand drawn map out of his bag.
Sitting on a boulder next to him, a woman wearing a simple white coat with a hood over her head and holding a wooden staff with a green gem-like stone, emanating a soft light, clashing with the flames' light on her face, devoid of imperfections, looked at him and scoffed.
"Well aren't you the optimist! We first have to survive the freezing hell outside before we can even think about the mission." She stared angrily at the cave's entrance,from where the whistling sound of the wind came, as if hoping the flurry of wind and snow would suddenly disappear, before turning away and facing the crimson flames in front of her.
"Anyway, I wouldn't even be here doing this if it was anything else we were up against." she then took one of the pieces of meat, roasting on the fire, and bit it.
Opposite her, a short, bearded man was handling the fire, making sure it would not dissipate, leaving the group at the mercy of the cold. After a bit, he turned to the man in the beast's hide.
"Once we get to the altar, what's our plan against the Schemer? That monster's not something just anyone can challenge and come back alive."
The lithe man, who seemed as though he was the leader of this expedition, put the map back in the bag and looked up at the ceiling, seemingly relaxing under the warmth.
"You're right, a normal party would stand no chance against it, but don't forget we're not a normal party. How many are there even on the Great Continent that have a dwarf and an elf with them" he stole a glance at the woman next to him, still eating "not to mention a Night Dweller for a scout. So I feel confident in our chances against the Schemer. Don't worry, your role will become evident when we get there."
Turning to one of the corners in the cave, the silhouette of a young man could be seen, although barely, as though it was blending with the darkness of the cave. The dwarf shuddered, like he saw something so disturbing he never wanted to nor could explain it. The Night Dwellers were a mysterious race, born and raised in Darkness, they resembled normal people, except for their pitch black eyes that resembled an indescribable void, and their aura - an invisible, yet unmistakable force that only seemed to grow with the darkness around them. Returning his gaze to the fire he mumbled
"I still can't believe you managed to persuade one of them into joining."
The man just smiled and shrugged.
The last member of the cohort was a woman, sitting opposite the leader, arms crossed and sleeping. A number of bandages were visible between the cloth that made her garment, a simple leather tunic covered in a metal, resembling steel. There was also a scabbard on her waist, holding her sword and a sheath on her lower back, missing the blade that should have been there.
His sight falling on her, the man sighed and got up put his hand on the pommel of his sword.
"You guys rest for now, I'll take the first shift as look out and we need our energy, tomorrow won't be more merciful than it was today."
The dwarf and the elf both nodded and prepared to go to sleep.
Unbeknownst to any one of the three members awake, a bat-like creature silently left the cave, it's skin changing its color, merging with the surroundings and becoming almost invisible, except for it's two eyes, shining a striking, blood-like red.
***
In the morning, the storm outside had mostly calmed, with slight snowfall and the wind slowing down, one would think it had ended, however the striking cold did not disappear, even under the rays of the sun. Inside the cave, the four people were just getting up and packing up their things. Even in the cold that awaited them outside, they had to continue on.
In the front was the leader, covered whole with the beast hide. Behind him, the bandaged woman walked next to the dwarf, her hand resting on her sword. In the back were the elf and the young Dweller, the former clearly displeased with the current arrangement. The latter meanwhile had covered himself with a black cloak, hiding his physique and by extension himself, as if afraid to be exposed to the sunlight.
The strange group walked through the seemingly never-ending snow, enduring the bone-chilling temperature of the air around them.
The man in the front turned his head to look at his companions.
"Remember, we don't want another accident like yesterday, so keep your guard up."
Everyone nodded in agreement, before secretly looking at the woman in bandages for a moment. The woman herself just sighed and continued walking.
It seemed however that luck was on their side that day, as they managed to reach their goal almost unbothered, except for a stray bunny-like creature that tried to ambush them in the veil of snow, but was killed before it could even do anything by a small blade, carved from a dark metal, that then disappeared before appearing in the hand of the Dweller in the back.
Standing in front of the chasm, it seemed as if all life around it was drained, the trees around were withered, branched snapped off by the weight of the snow on them. Even wildlife seemed to be nonexistent here, most likely the reason behind their undisturbed travel today.
Looking down, they saw a cavity in the earth, seemingly spanning forever on both sides. And inside, frozen fire permeated its walls, except for a small hole, which was instead frozen.
"Okay Roland, take it out." The leader looked at the dwarf.
Roland nodded and handed him a cube with runes of a strange language engraved on it. The leader took it and stretched out his palm with the device in the center. After mumbling something under his breath, five thin blue lines slowly ascended from his fingertips, before changing their direction and hitting the cube on five spots, each now glowing blue.
"May this indestructible bridge allow to traverse even the harshest terrain, unmoved for eons."
With this the device started levitating, and then shot forward, bending to its user's will. Moment after moment, a bridge of that same blue light started forming, one end in front of them and the other - just before the frozen cavity.
The party of five moved towards their goal, each step on the blue surface echoing in the chasm. The closer they got to the entrance however, the temperature only seemed to drop, reaching unbearable proportions, yet they seemed undisturbed, just walking forward.
After an hour or so of just walking, they reached the entrance, now clearly made of ice, yet sturdy as a rock.
"When we enter, we will either leave victorious, or remain there forever. Still, no matter what happens, we must vanquish the beast and bring an end to this wretched winter."
A solemn expression appeared on their faces, yet they agreed silently and stepped forward.
Each person unaware of what was to happen to them.
Each, except one.