Figuring that he would need to branch out from Frost Gale at some point, so that he could acquire the answers that he was looking for, Videl had finally worked up the gumption to push on out into the world outside of what he had known. He would set out from Frost Gale and make it all the way down to Moonglade if things had worked out well enough. The first step on such a journey was passing through the ice fields and towards Dragon's Cradle. It is here, in the ice fields, that Videl had currently found himself.

Despite how bundled up he had found himself at the moment, Videl had still found himself to be relatively freezing. The horrid conditions of the ice fields had certainly contributed to this lack of warmth but overall, it was something on a deeper level that had been the key cause behind this frosty feeling. Something that he had always believed to be the icy blessing of winter that had been bestowed upon him. Not that he was all that wrong in this assumption.

"Honestly, one can only hope that all of this effort is worth it. The outside world.. I need to discover the truth behind what happened to the gods. If those adventurers were right than that'll change everything.." The excuse that he had given himself to escape his solitude was that he could obtain information on just what was going on with the gods. Were they alive? Or truly deceased? He had believed himself to be cursed by the gods, or simply blessed by Salina, so this was something that he was forcing himself to uncover. So that he could get answers about why it is that he was forced to live this life of solitude. But in truth, he had simply been looking for an out. A source of escape from the place that he had resided but that he could never call home. There's no telling just how much this journey will effect him.. but at the end of the day, it'll all be worth it.

It was probably an ancient scholar or some other pompous ass that once said, “All roads lead to home”. Ak’ka’d always found the philosophy to be stupid - couldn’t return home if ya didn’t have one to return to, plain and simple. And yet, months on the road, always searching the newest hunt, newest fight, newest thrill, and somehow, Ak’ka the Bonegrinder, formerly of Clan Mortak of the World’s Crown, often found herself here when she was tired. Frostgale. Home of the biting cold and fuck-all ‘xcept some nasty monsters and ghosts of folks long dead that only existed in the roar of blizzard winds. Really, there was nothing left for her here. Nothing but the legacy of all she’d lost and revenge to keep her warm at night.

So why did she keep comin’ back?

Nostalgia, maybe. Ak’ka had jack all waiting for her at the end of the road paved with broken bones and cracked skulls save her empire of dust. A clan she broke because she couldn’t hold its weight on her shoulders. There was a snowball’s chance in hell she was gonna make her way to the World Crown while she was visiting the country - lookin’ for a bounty, as was the merc’s way - so Ak’ka’d set up a camp in the Ice Fields for now while she made her way to the Pale City. With all the crazy shit going on in the world, there was bound to be work. Always criminals to hunt, monsters to take care of, and if all else failed, places to rebuild after the earthquakes that damn near wrecked the world. She’d stay a few weeks, then chase after the next big thing.

That was her life since takin’ to the road. Always on the move. Like she might just not get up again if she stopped. So she let her hate and adrenaline and battlesong fuel her travel, days spent on the road in quiet, and nights spent campin’, watchin’ the stars since she didn’t have a tent. And always so damn cold.

Today was another one of those days. Quiet. Anticipation without a name thrumming in her veins makin’ her wish she had somethin’ in front of her to punch just to get the jitters out of her system. Cold. Always cold. Eh, she wasn’t in any rush, and the snow just kept piling up, so Ak’ka stopped, figuring she’d make camp for the day. The hulking half Orc eventually came to a stop at a point in the open fields, figuring here was as good a place to sleep as any, and dropped her bag to the ground. Someone as big and strong as her didn’t have’ta worry about picking a place with shelter from enemies. At this point, if anyone saw her and felt stupid enough to rob her, well, that was between them and the dead god she’d send them to meet in the afterlife. The mercenary set up a small fire with the remains of some of the wood in her pack before propping it up, leaning against it like a makeshift chair while she munched on some jerky. The fire was about as useful for warming her up as a pair of glasses was to a blind man, but whatever. It was nice to pretend that she didn’t feel the call of the chill for a damn minute.

It was there that the woman relaxed - stretching out all ten feet of her height, utterly nonchalant, and makin’ the best of her solitude. In front of her, the fire burned, smoke curling lazily in the air. A beacon for any traveler that might be makin’ their way through the fields.

A rather sizeable chunk of time would pass by as Videl had continued to make his way through the ice fields. Chills had continued to run all along his body, despite the fact that he had been wearing the parka that his mother had given him. It was as though, no matter what he did, he would always feel this way. It was incomprehensible to the people of his tribe but deep down, he knew it to be true. The way that everyone had pulled away from him due to the intensity of the frost that his body gave off.. It was something that he couldn't live down as the sole ice mage of a family that specialized in fire magic.

Ever since he had departed from Sylvari and begun to make his way across the Frost Gale, Videl had begun to experience a familiar coldness that was hard to differentiate from the genuine frost that he permeated. One of solitude and loneliness. A coldness that was far harder to explain than the physical sensations that he had caused in others. Being alone was... positively horrid.

Losing himself within the confines of his mind, his thoughts solely focused on the events that had occurred up to this point, Videl's body would continue to walk on its own. He wasn't quite sure where he was going but he knew that he was headed in the right direction. East of the World Crown and towards Dragon's Cradle. He would get to where he needed to be if it was the last thing that he ever did. If only there was someone to distract him from these thoughts.

As he had continued on his path, his gaze would eventually catch sight of smoke in the distance. It wasn't a conscious find but it was enough to pull him out of his thoughts and back to the world at large. "..smoke?" Unsure of just where it had been coming from, Videl would divert from his path a bit and head towards the source. After a few minutes of running, he would eventually come upon a campfire and an individual the likes of which he had never seen before.

There, splayed out in a state of relaxation, had been a woman of massive proportions. She had been at about ten feet tall and was an absolute unit of muscle. Greenish-Gray Skin, pointed ears, and long, dark hair. There was but one thing that he could call such an individual.. a half-orc. Perhaps even a full orc with this height and muscularity! Unsure of how to even really react in this moment, he would simply keep his gaze on the hulking figure. "..wow."

Weren’t many trees in a place like the ice fields. Nothing but flat and white and cold. Made it easy for Ak’ka to spot the lone, approaching figure from near a mile away - but she wasn’t bothered none by it. Likely they were just some unlucky ice trader who’d gotten lost in the snow and needed warmth and rations. At worst it was a bandit or raider. And she was right fucked if it was a cold-driven hallucination. She leaned back in her seat and pulled a small flask from the pockets of her furs and took a long swig. Liquid courage, the kind that burned her throat - not that she needed it.

As it turned out, none of her guesses were quite right. As the figure approached the firelight, she was shocked to see that the person encroaching’ on her camp was a kid. Well, maybe kid wasn’t the right word, but it sure was the one that sprang to mind when she saw how short he was. But everyone was short to her, so that was hardly an accurate reflection for the little guy’s age. Not that she could make out any of his other discerning features behind layers of lily-white girallon fur and a thick parka. He was dressed for the weather. Smart. But Ak’ka doubted that would last for very long. Once the sun set, a parka did Jack-all for protecting most normal folks from becomin’ a popsicle. If he didn’t have a tent or protection or… somethin’, he was prone to freezing out here.

Ak’ka remained silent at his approach - up ‘til the moment he let out a little exclamation, a single word of surprise at the sight of her. She didn’t take offense to that. Ak’ka had that effect on people, ‘specially beyond the mountain where her kind weren’t as common as they were up in the cruel jagged maw of the winter’s crown. She did, however, shift to uncross her feet before hooking one over the other, shifting her position. Took another swig of her drink before raising her hand in greeting at the sound, letting him know she’d seen and heard him. Kid seemed about as subtle as a box of rattlin’ rocks, but hey. She wasn’t one to pass judgement, not lookin’ and soundin’ like this.

Straight to the point, she spoke - voice a low timbre, not especially gentle but not angry either. “You gonna keep gawking all day or are ya gonna come sit by the fire? I’m guessin’ you probably need some rest and food if yer’ out here all by your lonesome. Or you can keep movin’ on if yer lookin’ for trouble.”

She huffed out a small laugh as if sharin’ an inside joke only she was privy to. The sudden burst of air from her nostrils was so cold it created a puff of smoke and ice crystals. “I promise I don’t bite or nothin’. Just passin’ along myself.”

As the behemoth of a woman before him had spoke, Videl would realize just how rude he had been. This wasn't the normal rection that he tended to have when he had seen someone or something out of the ordinary. It was simply that she was too different from what he had been expecting to be out here. There weren't many people that had stood this tall after all. Deciding to rectify his behavior regardless, now that he was aware of it, the young T'saya would approach the camp fire.

"My apologies, miss. It's not every day that one comes upon an individual such as yourself. I suppose that I happened to find myself awestruck." Some might consider this to be flattery but he was simply being as honest as he could be. "I appreciate your allowing me to rest with you." Videl would promptly squat down to the ground and rest himself in the snow. One could say that he was attempting to reflect the half orcs relaxed nature in doing so, given the fact that he was now lying on his side whilst facing the woman, his head supported by one of his hands and one of his legs being arched upwards.

Despite basking in the glow of the fire, Videl had still found himself to be rather cold. It was an inevitability for him, of course, but he could still try and pretend that the fire was helping. Little clues would give away this fact no matter how hard he had tried to hide it though. A shiver here and a shutter there. Frosted breaths of air that would escape each time he had inhaled. All things that he was used to experiencing and thus all things that he forgets to acknowledge whilst around others.

Although he had remained quiet for the first couple of moments, after having found himself resting upon the ground, Videl would eventually speak up. "If I may ask, just where is it that you are heading off to? As I'm sure you know, the ice fields are a rather dangerous place for people to pass through." Not that he really had the right to speak on this matter, given that he was passing through as well. "O-oh! My apologies.. I should probably introduce myself first." With a soft laugh and a sense of embarrassment, Videl would begin to scratch at the back of his head. "I'm Videl. Videl Vaddaria. I suppose that you could say that I'm from around here." Here being Frost Gale, not the ice fields themselves.

Most rumors said that orcfolk weren’t the most friendly lot, and most rumors would be true. But the woman sitting in front of the campfire didn’t seem to be bothered none by the parka-wearing kid’s blatant curiosity. She couldn’t blame him. Most people of her ilk rarely came this far down south and hardly any were as big as her. With her height n’ stature, it was difficult to even tell if she was full blooded Orc or a halfa. Despite her fearsome gravity and the story of endless battles etched in her scars, she seemed pretty even-keel. Besides, the kid didn’t seem to mean any harm with all his serious apologies and thanks for sharing the campfire.

Ak’ka shrugged.

“Ain’t much ‘round here for miles - I’d be a pretty thickheaded bastard to turn away someone in need. Besides, you ain’t tried to rob me yet, so I think we’ll get along just fine.” As she spoke, the kid made a display of tryin’ way too hard to relax, probably tryin’ to hide the fact that he was… nervous or whatever he was feelin’, determined to cover it up with a chill stance. It was kinda funny if she were bein’ honest. If he really was scared though, he didn’t show it on his face, which Ak’ka appreciated.

“And ya don’t gotta apologize for starin’. It’s a free country, and I am pretty big.” Especially compared to the new visitor at her campfire. She’d guessed he was young, but now that he was closer she could see just how tiny he was. His clothes seemed to swallow him whole, and they were doing a piss-poor job of keeping him warm to boot. Ak’ka herself wasn’t wearin’ much more than an owlbear-pelt cloak to protect herself from the elements - when one spent devil knew how long buried under a tomb of ice and unmelting snow until the cold became part of you, a little blizzard seemed small in comparison - but despite the fact his dress and mannerisms indicated he was a native, he was shiverin’ like a newborn chick seeing snow for the first time in its life.

“You good?” Ak’ka asked, blunt as ever. She didn’t have time for playing around or manners or whatever. She spoke what was on her mind, whether that was good or bad. “You look like yer ‘boutta keel over from frostbite. I’ve got an extra cloak around here if ya need…”

She moved to start shuffling through her pack when the kid spoke up. He’d been quiet while he attempted to warm himself up, but with the spell of silence broken, he was free to ask whatever questions he wanted.

Ak’ka grunted while she sifted through her pack.

“Yep - ice fields are pretty damn dangerous to people who ain’t used to walkin’ them. But I’m from the mountains. And if I balked at danger I’d never get anything done.” Yes, the ice fields were full of crackling lakes and false bottoms and any number of pitfalls for an unsuspecting traveler - but Ak’ka was experienced and had walked these lands countless times before. “And I’m headin’ to the Pale City. Or, that’s the plan at least. Plans change and sometimes you gotta just follow where life wants ya to go.”

She paused when he finally gave his name, lifting out a calloused, thick palm for a handshake. If Videl were to accept, he’d notice right off the bat that her skin wasn’t gray ‘cus she was naturally that color. Her skin was gray and cold like a corpse.

She had a handshake like a motherfucker - not to establish dominance but just because she was that strong.

“My friends call me Ak’ka. My enemies call me the Bonegrinder… at least, they do when they’re not screamin’ in pain. But I’d much rather us be friends so you can call me the first.” She snorted. “Would’a guessed yer a native by the clothes, Chicklet, but not the shiverin’. Guessin’ it’s been a long time since ya spent a night on the road? Here.”

She finally found her extra cloak - nothin’ fancy, just thick wool fur specially designed for the harsh elements here.

“Put that on before ya turn into a human popsicle. Now, since we’re playin’ twenty questions, what brings ya out here all by yer lonesome?”

Videl couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the thought of someone attempting to rob the woman, let alone himself. Going off of first impressions alone, she could crush just about anyone or anything that had chosen to bother her. He was practically certain that if the two of them were to fight, she would crush him wholeheartedly. Quite the trial for one as inexperienced as himself.

The two would continue to bounce from conversation to conversation, slowly getting to know one another a bit better. It was a pleasant experience for the T'saya that had believed he was going to have to undertake another trip of solitude. Even as the two had shook hands, her grip having been far superior in strength when compared to his own, Videl would find himself enjoying this. He had noticed her chilly grasp as their hands had clasped around one another but opted not to say anything off the bat.

At the mention of him being cold and the offer of a cloak, Videl would simply wave the woman's words away. Whilst he had appreciated the sentiment behind her words, he had seen no real use in agreeing to them. "Thanks for the offer but I'll be alright. This isn't the kind of thing that a cloak can really help with." A shrug would be offered up to the woman at this point as Videl had raised his right hand. "My connection with the Sea Domain is a rather strong one. My mother says that I've been blessed by Salina but the rest of my tribe believes it to be a curse. A Midwinter Child, they call me. I haven't felt this so-called warmth since the day I was born."

Rather than accept the cloak, that he had waved off only a moment ago, Videl would once more grasp the Ak'ka's hand. As he had done so this time around, he would allow for his smile to grow. "I find that the closest thing to warmth that I can find is the feeling of understanding." His grip would tighten, albeit not by much, as his gaze had turned towards their hands. The aura of cold that had been pushing through the both of them would only grow stronger as he attempted to maintain this grip. "You're the first person that I've met that's like me. Or, well, it certainly feels like that's the case."

So as to not come across any weirder than he might have been up to this point, Videl would remove his hand from Ak'ka's completely. If she had even allowed him to go along with the grasping of her hand that is. "This actually pertains to your question.. I'm out here so that I can understand whether this is a blessing or a curse. I've heard rumor that the gods are long dead. I need to determine whether this is fact or fiction. Only Salina can answer my questions, I suspect."

Plopping over onto his back, Videl would return his gaze to Ak'ka's own. "Feel free not to answer but what do you think, Ak'ka? If you truly are anything like me, like I suspect, than do you believe this to be a blessing or a curse?" Regardless of what answer she had chosen, even if it was outside of the boundaries that he had initially set, Videl had felt at ease to speak about this with another. Having grown up with the ridicule and scorn of his tribe, due to his magic, it was at least reassuring to know that there were others somewhat like him. Even if that someone was a massive orc.

Ak’ka raised a brow at Videl’s polite yet firm denial of her extra cloak. Seemed a pretty foolish thing to turn away an extra bit of warmth. ‘Round here, a more prissy stranger might get offended at the denial, but Ak’ka was more curious than anything. And as Videl explained, she understood why.

She ain’t ever heard of a Midwinter Child, but she was damn familiar with the sensation that Videl was describing.

“No? Put it on anyways.” Ak’ka grumbled, tossing it at the kid after their handshake broke. Ice-cold; not that she expected anything different. But she’d already made up her mind to lend it to him, and she was a stubborn gal on the best of days. “May not help the insides but it sure as hell won’t hurt the outsides.” Avasha knew he needed all the help he could get. He was a tiny little thing and looked like a shivering dog.

It was at that moment Videl grabbed her hand - not a handshake, but in a moment of reassurance and sympathy. His grip clenched her palm. Didn’t hurt, but the firmness was a bit of a surprise. He may have been small but damn if he didn’t lack conviction. All ice, but there was a fire in his eyes when he spoke.

Ak’ka wrinkled her nose at Videl’s unspoken question. She didn’t move away to break his grip but she didn’t look pleased ‘bout it either, for a moment.

“I’m a bit of a… complicated situation.” She said after a moment. When Videl finally let go, she tucked her hands back in her pockets. Hard to tell if the contact had made her uncomfortable, or she merely feared understanding from another person when she was so used to just bein’ alone. That was the problem of bein’ made of ice and rage - difficult to thaw and soften. “I wasn’t born like this. I was, uh… changed.”

Changed when she was buried under layers of snow and avalanche and left to rot. Hell, she wasn’t even sure how long she stayed down there, gatherin’ the strength to break free. But when she did… part of it stayed with her.

“Ain’t ever called it Salina’s blessing or nothin’. But whatever it is, I got somethin’ like it. I just kinda… got used to it.” She shrugged, unsure what else to say. Videl was searchin’ for answers she wasn’t sure she could answer. Not that Ak’ka was afraid of finding them, but that she’d never particularly cared. She didn’t give a rat’s ass about Salina’s special gifts for her snow-blessed children, and bein’ buried under an avalanche while her clan was left to suffer and perish sure didn’t feel like a boon. As far as she was concerned, the fickle sea-goddess could take her gifts and shove them where the sun didn’t shine. But since that wasn’t possible, she just had to live with it.

Videl, apparently, wasn’t so content with that.

Ak’ka nodded. “I’ve heard pretty much the same.” She admitted. “But if ya ask me, yer better off leavin’ Salina in her grave in search of someone that might actually have answers. Like a mage, or one of them scholars at the arcane academy or summat.” She grunted again, not particularly angry or irritated, and ‘specially not with Videl - but ‘cause this god business, all these cultists and shit, it was far beyond her. She understood what her eyes could see and her fists could smash. The rest was meant for others to put together.

But that kid was burning with curiosity, a lifetime of scorn and tribulations behind his next loaded question - and a kinda innocence Ak’ka couldn’t crush. The half-Orc warrior drew in a heavy sigh, staring at the embers of her fire. What she thought about magic. Blessings. All of it. Weren’t questions for a warrior, but she’d do her best to answer.

Picking up a stick from the ground, Ak’ka spoke while tending to the fire.

“If ya ask me - and you are - I don’t think it’s a blessing or a curse. I think it is what it is. Magic of the earth is raw, wild, untamable. Don’t act by no rules, just pure, primordial force. And it’s everywhere. In the sky, the dirt, the fuckin’ animals, us. And it’s always lookin for somewhere to settle. It seeps into our bones and makes its home there, and we get closer to the earth. Don’t make it good or bad. It’s just nature. And you can go lookin’ for answers like divine providence or blessings, yeah. You can believe god has a plan for ya. Or you can go find solutions.”

She leaned forward, staring into Videl’s eyes. An unbreaking, unyielding stare. “Which one are ya lookin’ for, chicklet? Answers, or solutions?”

Rather than continue to push against the acceptance of the cloak, Videl would nonverbally agree to taking it on. Not that he had much of a choice considering the fact that it had been tossed his way. Honestly, with the size difference between the two, this thing was a veritable blanket for him. Once he had loosened his grip from Ak'ka's, he would take the time to wrap himself within it, pigs in a blanket style. From the outside, he must have looked like he would get lost in the thing.

At the mention of not having been born with her frosty nature, the T'saya couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow. If her claims had been true, and she had been changed to be like this, than he was truly an odd existence. The question over whether this had been a blessing or a curse had only intensified at this point. What was so different about his birth that he had been bestowed with this nature. And just what had she done to receive such a change?

Sensing that his words or actions had been a source of discomfort, Videl would lower his head to the half-orc. "I.. apologize for bringing it up. I'm not sure what led to your changes but I can understand if you don't wish to discuss it. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable in any way." It was evident that her words held some effect upon the T'saya. Perhaps it was truly better for him to just leave Salina where she lay, in order to seek his answers elsewhere. Given the probability of her actually being deceased, if he had continued down this particular path, it would be a life of chasing answers that would never come. That wasn't the kind of life that he had wanted for himself.

Her following words were enough to break the mold that he had set for himself. Rather than including Salina in the operation at all, magic was nature in it's very essence. Videl had known this of course but his people had taught things differently. They were a shamanistic people that had worshipped the main pantheon. If any others had heard what he had just heard, they would refute the half-orc's claims and likely try to come to arms. Videl wasn't like that though. With the possibility of the gods no longer being involved whatsoever, he had no choice but to accept the magic for what it was.

"I.. don't really know how to answer your question, Ak'ka. If I accept everything that you are saying than I'll ultimately end up searching for both." It would be difficult for anyone to see, given that he was swallowed by the cloak, but Videl had begun to play with his fingers in a way that he only had when he was anxious. "Let's say that I just believe myself to be a vessel for this magic and that there isn't any sort of blessing or a curse.. Than what reasoning was there for me to have been treated so poorly by those that I loved? And if the gods are truly dead, and nothing has changed, than what purpose has their existence served since they've been gone? It's like asking me to flip everything that I know on it's head.."

Even with saying that, Videl had started to give in to the fact that this was how things were. Rather than a blessing or a curse, he had simply held a deeper connection to the Sea Domain than most. It was feasible for him to track down a mage or a scholar in search of answers but there was no real point in doing so if he had simply accepted this possibility. It was essentially stripping him of his reasoning for leaving everything that he had known behind.

"Ugh.. I don't like this." Vigorously shaking his head from side to side, Videl would place his head in his lap. There were too many things that he had to consider now and it was starting to give him a headache. Perhaps Sylvari would have a better sense of insight as to what he should do. This was something that he would need to bring up with her in the future. "..this is far too much thinking for me right now." Pulling his head from his lap, his gaze would return towards Ak'ka. "Hey, Ak'ka, I have a request to make of you. If that is okay, anyways." His eyes would find themselves briefly glowing blue as his following words had flown out. "When you have the time and desire, I request that you put me to the test. See how my magic fairs against you and then judge whether or not it's just some random magic. I.. need to know this at the very least."

Ak’ka shrugged halfheartedly at Videl’s apology. His head was all bowed like he’d insulted her da and not asked a question. She had thicker skin than that, and yeah, she mighta been a bit bothered by the ice that flowed through her body and fueled her battlesong, but it wasn’t nothing but life, like she’d told the kid. You could waste yer breath cursing at it, or you could do something to fix it… or you could learn to live with it.

Ak’ka’d done the latter.

“You’ve got nothin’ to apologize for.” Ak’ka said again. Though she was beginning to learn through the conversation that the kid was so serious that this probably wouldn’t be the last time she’d have to say those words. “You asked a question, and I answered.” She stopped, rubbin’ at her chin thoughtfully. She wasn’t much for the act of thinkin’, when that was much better left to scholars, but she wasn’t brainless. She could put pieces together in her mind, just a bit slower than other folk. “Either way, even though our pasts are different, I don’t think we’re far off from each other. You were born with a cold; I caught it like a plague. We’re both sick with it in the end.”

Another stubborn nudge of the fire, like it might make the grim conversation topic any brighter. Fire didn’t work that way, but at least it would keep her toes from settin’ in with frostbite even if it didn’t feel that way.

Silence hung over the camp for a minute after her last question while Videl mulled over what she’d been saying. It was a hard conversation, she figured. Ak’ka didn’t consider herself either faithful or faithless. But the news sweepin’ the world had come as a bit of a shock to her. She’d grown up believin’ that the strength to run her clan was from Avasha’s blessing and the lightning that rained down on her when she took up the mantle of her tribe. She popped outta the ice wondering if her gift with the snow was Avasha’s curse. But it had taken her a long time to come to that conclusion. Her strength was her own, and the might of the world was just that. From the world. Didn’t need no divine prompting to give her purpose.

Ak’ka made her own fuckin’ purpose on this godsforsaken earth.

Eventually, Videl spoke again, lookin’ a little upset, which she couldn’t blame him for. Especially considering he was so gung-ho about believing that it was meant to be some sign of divine will, and Ak’ka didn’t wanna tear that faith down if that was the hope keepin’ him going. But she couldn’t help but look at the little snowpuff, the shivers even wrapped under layers upon layers, and the brightness in his eyes as he set off in search of his own answers, and do whatever she could to prevent him from runnin’ a fools errand that would only crush him in the end.

“Hm.” Ak’ka grunted; it was difficult to tell what that single sound was supposed to mean.

“I can’t point ya in the right direction when it’s yer own decision to make in the end. But I’ll tell ya this much. The gods might be dead, they might not be. That ain’t for me to say when I didn’t put much stock in them in the first place. But our reason for bein’ on this earth… only we can decide that. If you really wanna pursue that line of reasonin’, and find out if it really is a divine gift shat out from Salina’s undead asshole, then that’s what drives you. That’s what keeps ya going. Yer family mighta tried to tear ya down, and others in the future might try to tear ya down. But if that’s what keeps you movin’, don’t ever let anyone fuckin’ stop you.”

Ugh. She’d never been good with words of comfort or any shit like that, but when Videl hung his head in his hands Ak’ka couldn’t tell if she’d made things better or worse. For a minute she wondered if she’d accidentally given the kid a crisis of faith… but then Videl sprung back up like a daisy poppin’ outta the snow, immediately changing the subject.

Ah. Now this was a language Ak’ka could understand.

She didn’t usually spar with others, but Ak’ka was a warrior through and through. The battlesong thrummed in her heart and the fight sang to her. It had been a long time since she stood on the battlefield in the throng of war, but she’d never turn her nose up at a good brawl.

“Sure. Why not?” She said, crackin’ her knuckles. They were scraped and bloodied and caked in old grime, but like a knight picked up a sword and a shield they were her precious weapons. And she so had a fondness for usin’ them.

“Whenever you want, Snowball. We’ll test yer mettle.”

… And apparently, the Bonegrinder had a fondness for giving people nicknames, too.

Honestly not knowing whether to consider her words as helpful or problematic, Videl would simply shut parts of them out. He would accept the words for what they were but would have to come back to them in the future. At present, there isn't a ton that he could really do with what he was being told after all. Not until he had reworked his way of thinking. Once he decides on where to go with his future, things will come easier to him. But that's a story for another time.

Settling his thoughts directly on what was ahead of him, Videl's gaze would remain firm upon the half orc. "Snowball, huh?" A smile would overtake the T'saya as he had raised himself from off of the ground. In doing so, the cloak would cling to him, and a sizeable chunk of ice ^{[Ice Spear]} would appear within his grasp. "I like the sound of that." While a snowball might start off small, it had the capacity to grow into a massive problem. One that Videl had resolved himself to become as time had gone on. A force that was not to be trifled with.

As though he had been casting away the doubts that had filled him, Videl would gesture the spear of ice towards the prone woman. Her size was immense and her figure was daunting but well.. Even with her rough words, she had grown on him. Enough to possibly warrant her as a friend, depending on how their relationship continued. "If that's the case than I hereby request a sparring match between the two of us. Regardless of the outcome, I'm sure that I'll have a bit more faith in my own ability. Your words have helped me see through the storm.. but now I need to act on them."

It was now his goal to prove to himself that Ak'ka's words held some semblance of truth. That he shouldn't let 'anyone fuckin' stop' him. He had to see if he was capable of getting back up again or continuing on in the face of a greater adversary. One that would likely pummel him before he could explore his true potential.

Alright. Videl didn’t wanna talk about the gods and magic and blessings anymore. Ak’ka didn’t blame him - it was tough to hear challenging viewpoints to your own. It was why Ak’ka didn’t bother with philosophy. She had opinions and that was just fine. Dead gods, alive gods, blessings and curses and primordial magic - folks could sing all day long about what they knew to be truth but that didn’t change the way ale tasted. All that could really be trusted was what you could control.

And right now, that meant kicking the ass - er, sparring - with the kid who’d asked her for a battle. Ak’ka stood while the snowchild pulled a spear from the cold of the air, askin’ for a fight in what was probably the kindest way Ak’ka’d ever been asked for a fight. She couldn’t help but laugh - not in a way that was condescendin’, but in a way that showed her genuine surprise. Videl had more guts than she first thought. Desperate to prove himself and constantly grow stronger, while still bein’ the politest young man she’d ever seen.

Cracking her knuckles, Ak’ka shot him a grin. Unlike the little Snowball, she didn’t bother with manners. Her attitude was as rough and uncut as the wild mountains she’d come from - sturdy and unbreakable, jagged frozen edges coverin’ solid foundations. He’d been bold enough to challenge the mountains themselves for answers, and there was one thing the Bonegrinder respected more than raw power, and that was unshakable courage and will. “Well, since ya asked so politely…”

She’d just have to do him the courtesy of takin’ this seriously, too.

Unlike the little Snowball, Ak’ka didn’t use no weapons. Weapons limited her strength. Meant she had to temper her blows not to break fragile tools. Nor did she bother with any fancy ice spells right off the bat. But as she shrugged off her pelt cloak, casting it beside her, the very air around her seemed to grow… colder. Ak’ka wasn’t just all talk. She’d faced her death in the harsh mountains of the World’s Crown. She’d felt the icy grip of the afterlife. And she beat it into submission, carried it with her like a battle trophy. And as she strode forward, every single part of her was a weapon. Every part of her a threat.

“Let’s see what yer made of, then. Got what it takes to weather the blizzard?” She growled, her voice taking on a more menacing timber. She believed Videl could hold his own - and she wasn’t gonna disrespect him by treating this like a play fight. No. This was a test.

If he replied, Ak’ka didn’t hear it. Didn’t hear nothing but the roar of the wind in her ears and the pounding of the battlesong in her heart as she sprinted at him, fist reared back to make the first punch.^[1]

---

1. Bull’s strength, Heavy Enchantment, Double Strike Enchantment

As the half orc had risen from the field of snow, and dropped her pelt cloak, Videl would find himself momentarily stupefied. The woman that had stood before him had been more than twice his height and this had truly come to be known as she now lingered over him. Every inch that the T'saya could see had been met with rippling muscle and truth be told, Videl had found himself rather envious. Just what had she gone through to obtain such a form? To transform herself into a weapon?

The young man had truly wished to understand just what had ushered her on but there was no time for him to think. Just as quickly as she had accepted his request, Ak'ka would rush across the field and out towards him! An instinctive fear would pull him out of his thoughts and back to the present as she had quickly begun to close the distance between the two of them. 

"Shit!" Just as the two distance had been closed, Ak'ka would rear her arm back to throw a punch his way. Just from her physique alone, Videl could easily tell how bad of an idea it was to take that fist directly. As such, the T'saya would thrust his spear of ice directly at Ak'ka fist. It was a clumsy pierce, the movements of a beginner, but this was truly the most that he could do with such a weapon at the time.

Simultaneously, Videl would call upon his mana to coat the soles of his feet with a thin layer of ice ^{[Frozen Feet]}. This was so that the T'saya would could react quicker, in the event that another fist was thrown. Unfortunately for Videl, at this current point in time, the amount of things that he could do in this fight were limited. This would change in the future but wasn't the case for this current situation. Even knowing this though, Videl would give this fight everything that he had. It was only fair.

Out of any countermove Ak’ka expected the little fighter to pull in retaliation, merely thrustin’ his spear of ice straight at Ak’ka’s oncoming fist wasn’t it.

It was a clumsy move, but a passionate one; woulda done some serious damage if it’d been anyone else Videl was attackin’. But if Ak’ka was steel then her fists were diamonds. The skin on her knuckles was little more than scar tissue and callouses, and her palms a jagged nightmare of tears, cuts, and half-healed bruises. The second she saw Snowball comin’ at her with his spear she shifted, openin’ her palm to catch the jagged ice tip. It stung, diggin’ into her palms, but not enough to throw her off.^[1] She could shrug off the pain.

She kept herself from gettin’ hit, but it gave Videl just a split second to wiggle away. Slippery little bastard, he was. She knew the spell he was usin’ to dance across the snow like a ballerina. He was keeping his distance, not pressing any advantage. Doubting his strength to make a mark? Or assessing his advantages? Looking for weak points? Ak’ka took care of her body, pushed her strength past her limits ‘til she was an unstoppable juggernaut… but there was one glarin’ weakness, if Videl knew how to take advantage of it.

She didn’t wear no armor.

Her muscle and tough Orc hide shielded her from most bad injuries, but she wasn’t invulnerable. She only acted like she was; ‘cus muscle was one thing, but if you were mean and tough and knew it, then people were less tempted to fuck around and find out. And if you believed it, you didn’t open your mind to weakness. That’s why most people didn’t bother messing with Ak’ka when she gave off the impression steel would just bounce right off her abs. But without metal plates - some orcs favored armor but it just slowed her down - a well timed blow could take her outta the game. She hated to admit it, but Ak’ka wasn’t as young as she used to be. Wasn’t as strong. Not weak enough that Snowball could knock her out but he could catch her off guard with that spear once he realized she wasn’t as iron-hard as she acted.

Too bad she wouldn’t give him the chance to.

He was givin’ it all he had, despite his inexperience, despite his still-blossomin’ magic. She wasn’t gonna treat him like a kid. Maybe he got the snot kicked outta him, maybe she got stabbed with an ice spear. But either way, they’d both fought with as close to honor as an orc could muster.

Which was why Ak’ka couldn’t give him the chance to gather her bearings. She watched him dart around like a bear watchin’ salmon in a cold spring river, assessing her prey. He was too fast for her to catch like this, but she just needed to cast a wider net. Ak’ka stomped her foot on the ground, ice cracking and shooting up underneath her feet - a massive wall of ice shot in the air, the force of its arrival shooting her into the air enough that her massive frame cast a large shadow on the ground. She flew through the air, hovered at the apex, clasped her hands together, and rammed herself into the ground, driving her fists through layers of ice and snow hard enough to crack it apart - and hopefully knock Videl off his feet.^[2]

---

1. Hands as Weapons (Brawler I)
2. Bull’s Strength Tattoo, Heavy Enchantment, Double Strike Enchantment

Well this.. This was a first for the young T'saya. Rather than watching as the tip of his spear penetrated the calloused skin of the half orc, Videl would find that Ak'ka had outright caught his summoned weapon! In all of his time in dealing with this magic, there had never been a being so bold and outright capable. Add in the fact that his weapon hadn't even shattered and Videl had found himself rather astonished.

It was evident now that this ordeal would prove to be more difficult than he had initially imagined. If he hadn't managed to gain a bit of distance from the woman, things might have ended then and there. 'Shit! What am I to do now?!' His ever cautious eyes would begin to sweep over the field, hoping to find anything that could help him buy time. If he could just figure out what her weak points had been than he could attempt to end this in one fell swoop. Until he had found one though...

Before he knew it, Ak'ka would proceed to launch themselves into the air. She had utilized a spell that he had known quite well to do so, and up to this point, it wasn't a feat that he had even considered attempting. This was something that he would have to keep in mind for the future. This wasn't the time to be distracted however. In what would prove to be mere moments, Ak'ka would land upon the ground and beat into the very terrain with her hardened fists. The earth beneath them had begun to shatter, sending cracks all around, and ultimately knocking Videl off of his frozen feet.

As he had been attempting to rush backwards in the moment that the cracks had begun to form, it was Videl's back that would hit the ground first. A pained yelp would escape from his lips as he had begun to internally panic. He hadn't wished to show the half orc any of his hear, given that he had been the one to initiate this spar, and decided to just throw himself into his instincts. If she was going to throw walls up and put cracks in the ground than he was just going to have to replicate her actions.

Finding himself with little option left, Videl would place his left hand on the ground. As his free hand had reached the ground, the man would start to pump his mana into the very earth, calling upon a wall of ice ^{[Glacial Wall]} of his own. Much like the one that Ak'ka had previously cast, Videl's wall of ice would appear from beneath the half orc. He had been attempting to knock her back into the air, so that she would have no real room to flee his attacks. Whether she had fallen to his attempts or managed to dodge out of the way of it hadn't mattered to Videl. This was because, regardless of the action that she had taken, Videl would attempt to hurl his ice spear out towards the half orc with all that he had got. All he needed was for the ice spear to pierce into something. Only then would the chunk of ice shatter.