Vonoros let out a loud sigh of annoyance as he trudged along the mountains of Dragon’s Cradle holding an envelope in his hands.



“Dear adventurer as a result of Mount Drakolt’s eruption we are tasking adventurers with the cleaning up of the large stone debris that has crashed into our lovely homes, communities, and native environment. We are in turn are tasking adventurers to destroy these boulders with great efficiency and skill as well as help clean up any of the following mess that the crashing of the debris has made”.



He had been given this letter by one of his contracts who said it'd be just up Vonoros’s alley.



“Ugh, that Damn Jhafiv is always such a prankster, I’ll have to show him how funny I found that the next time I see him. If there’s anything I hate more than working it’s cleaning, I would’ve much rather preferred some difficult political espionage than this hard day’s work. At least it’ll be boring, maybe I could catch up on some sleep after I finish”, the triton thought to himself as he continued walking.



Soon he entered his destination, a small rural village on the mountainside he walked in and already saw that he was face with a long day of work just by looking at the damage that the volcano’s eruption had caused.



“What a bore, hopefully I can just finish this in peace”, Vonoros said walking over to the first boulder he saw in the middle of the village’s town square.

Having completed the task of assisting Hearthside Village in their food gathering attempts, Videl would find himself continuing his trek throughout Dragon's Cradle. His ultimate goal had been to make it to the other side, and out into the Zeinav desert, but that was going to take quite a bit of time due to his lack of a mount. The alternative that was presented to him was to simply speed across the region with his magic. That had felt rather counterproductive however, and as such, Videl had ultimately decided to keep his pace and make his way across Dragon's Cradle in his own way.

He wasn't quite sure how long he had been on the road for, since departing from Hearthside Village, but he was sure of the fact that he was still within the mountainous terrain of Dragon's Cradle. Somewhere along the way of his journey, Videl would catch wind of a request that had been put out to all the adventurers in the region. The recent eruption at Mt. Drakolt had supposedly sent hundreds of these flaming boulders throughout Charon and required cleanup. Taking care of such a thing honestly hadn't been at the forefront of his mind as he had passed through the region but it was something that he would ultimately decide to follow through with. The more that he had offered his assistance, the more he would grow. And that was all the motivation that the T'saya had needed.

All that was left for Videl to do at this moment was to track down one of these boulders and take care of it. He had spent the last couple of days searching for one but hadn't managed to come across one. Last night, however, he had caught wind of a small village that happened to have one blocking off one of its paths. Videl had spent the better part of this morning making his way out to said village and thankfully had finally arrived.

Upon entering the village, Videl would explore a bit. The people had been wary of him, initially, due to the cold that had emitted from his body. Once he had explained his reasoning for being here to them though, they had eagerly sent him off towards their town square. It was here that Videl would encounter an individual that he had yet to meet. A triton. He hadn't seen one of these since he resided with his family back in Frost Gale.

Curiosity of both the triton and the boulder had overtaken the T'saya as he had closed the distance to the man. The heat that had been permeating off of the boulder would likely have been annoying to him if he wasn't freezing all of the time. "Ho there, stranger. I take it that you are here for the same reason as I? To remove the boulder from the confines of this village, or at the very least destroy it?" As Videl had spoken, his gaze had remained firmly upon the boulder as opposed to the triton himself. He had been searching for the easiest way to accomplish either of those tasks. "My name is Videl. Videl Vaddaria. And if you should permit it, then I would certainly like to assist you in this endeavor."

Vonoros was pacing around the rock looking at its dimensions and thinking of the best way to destroy it when suddenly he felt a frigid presence around him.



He turned his head as he heard a voice call out for him and saw an unfamiliar figure speaking to him, “Hey, yeah I’m here to destroy this boulder and paid for it. Nice to meet ‘ya Vidal Vaddaria, and no worries dude I’d be happy to have some more help on this dumb rock. Name's Vonoros, Vonoros Jedath”.



Vonoros then backed away a couple of feet to let the other man take a better look at what they would be dealing with. The boulder was massive, to say the least, it was located on top of the small village’s fountain which at this point thanks to the eruption was destroyed and crushed by the boulder’s weight. From where Vonoros was standing it was about the size of two of him stacked together and two of him at his side.



“Thank god there's another chump here to do the work for me it looks like, why was I ever worried about actually doing anything when there’s always the hero type looking to help people out”, the triton thought to himself as he walked forward alongside Videl.



“So friend, how do you think we should start taking care of this, “Do you have any items or spells perhaps that can take care of this problem? The best thing I could do honestly is just hit it with my quarterstaff or ice spike spell”.

Vonoros Jedath. From what Videl could tell, he had been a relatively interesting fellow overall. The fact that he had been a Triton had already been enough to intrigue Videl, given the location that they had currently resided in. What had really grabbed the T'saya's attention though was the fact that the mans personality. He had been willing to assist others but seemingly only in exchange for reward. And despite the fact that he had been a Triton, an aquatic race, the man had willingly been making use of ice magics. He wasn't quite sure as to why but that had felt rather strange to Videl.

Knowing that it would be best to focus on the task at hand, as opposed to trying to figure out the man that he would be working with, Videl would nod in response to Vonoros's words. "I have a few things that I can try out for sure. Much like you, apparently, I specialize in ice magics and the use of polearms. Albeit my polearm usage is currently more restricted to spells such as ice spike. Still.. I am certain that I can move this boulder with little to no issue. We'll just have to be sure to destroy it shortly after."

Rather than allow for the boulder to remain, Videl would act quickly so that the townspeople could rebuild their fountain. "I'm not sure how well this will work but we'll have to act quickly so that my magic doesn't melt." Whilst not outright boiling, there was still enough heat emanating from the boulder to melt his magic over time. "Please ensure that there aren't any passerby's in the path heading out of this settlement." Trusting that Vonoros would take care of any people that might get in the way, Videl would drag his foot along the ground. As he had done this, his mana would begin to poor into the very ground itself.

Given that his magic had to draw its form from the moisture of the ground, it would take a moment for its effect to really take root. A moment would pass in which nothing would seemingly happen. Almost instantaneously after that moment had passed though, a large wall of ice ^{[Glacial Wall]} would jut from beneath the steaming boulder and would push it from atop the rubble of the fountain. Being left with no other option, the boulder would find itself pushed into the air, back onto the ground, and making its way down the path that had led the two of them into the town square. Small cracks had appeared across the boulder as it had hit the ground and would become more evident as it had rolled away. "Now let's break this thing apart."

Vonoros gave the other man a light smile as he heard the fellow had some of the same abilities as he, “Great, another Ice Magic Polearm user, Ice Spike is my only ice magic spell currently at my disposal, most of my skills are more suit to taking down criminals than moving a hunk of granite”, the triton said without dropping any reference to what his real job was. His abilities were much more suited for the silent and deadly variety than just simple criminal crusher skillset.



He stepped back raising his hands, “Alright my friend let’s see whatcha’ can do, if you raise that boulder I can help out with breaking this thing into damned smithereens. I’m confident in your abilities my friend. We can finish this quickly without worrying about your magic melting. I can help out in keeping people away from this as well”, he then stood a couple of feet back keeping a close eye on their surroundings as well as the young man’s actions.



He stood by ready to see this fellow’s ability at play as a necromancer himself; he already knew that ice magic was one of the strongest but difficult magics to learn, one had to have great patience and maneuverability to make the best use of it.



He wasn’t surprised to see that the boulder was suddenly lifted into the air by the sudden appearance of a large block of ice under it, “The kid’s work, I’m assuming”, he thought to himself a little impressed at Videl’s ability.



He stood still as the boulder fell to the floor with a great boom and some sound that was under them suddenly jumped all around them, the triton covering his eyes with his arm preventing himself from being blinded.



He quickly jogged behind the boulder following the path that he had taken earlier into the actual village he shouted over to Videl, “No problem, this should be as easy as eating a piece of shaved ice”, he then took out his quarterstaff from his massive wave of hair and held it in both hands.



He sprinted forth as the boulder continued to roll at a slow pace he swung his staff behind him before bringing the staff forward at a quick speed slamming it into the giant cracked rock causing some large pieces of the rock’s right side to fall off to the ground.

"As easy as eating a piece of shaved ice?" Despite the fact that he had spent the majority of his life in the Frost Gale, up until recently, Videl had never tried such a confectionary. This must have been the kind of thing that the people of the Pale City had eaten. It was something to think about in the event that he ever returns to his home region. With a smile slowly overtaking the mans lips, would speak up once more. "I like the way that you think, Vonoros."

That having been said, the two still had some work to do. Despite his efforts with the glacial wall, and the added force from Vonoros' attack with his quarterstaff, the boulder had still been holding on strong. If they were hoping to destroy the boulder than they were going to have to put in a bit more effort. So as to ensure that he put in an equal amount of work, Videl would masterfully coat the outer layer of himself in ice. In doing so, two spells would find themselves applied to him. The first had allowed for him to skate across the ground, crossing twice as much distance as he had been capable of before ^{[Frozen Feet]}. Videl had made use of this to dart alongside the boulder.

The second spell of his that would come into play was the ice that had coated his skin ^{[Frost Web]}. As he had rounded up alongside the boulder, Videl would peel off this thin layer of ice and would toss it towards the boulder. In doing so, a web-like substance would find itself glued onto the steaming boulder. As the boulder had progressed down the path, the net would cool the steaming boulder and start to place cracks in it here and there.

"In a few moments, this thing should crawl to a stop. It'll be much easier to deal with at that point so feel free to throw all your power into your attacks, Vonoros. Just be sure to keep any external damage to a limited area so that we don't harm anyone or anything else." Without even realizing how he had been speaking, it would seem that Videl had attempted to take on a leadership role. In his mind, he was simply suggesting an ideal tactic to finish the task with minimal damage. From the outside though, it was quite likely to see how one might misunderstand his actions.

Vonoros was a little shocked as he looked over to see Videl covered in a layer of ice, “Damn he’s pretty good, even I could learn a couple of things from him”, the assassin thought to himself thinking of learning those spells for his occupation.



He stopped in his place and stood on the right side of the boulder’s path watching as Videl skated on the literal sand floor beneath them.



Vonoros stood back in amazement and amusement, “Huh the kid did it huh”, before responding to the T’saya, “Good job dude, I’ll give it some of what I got while trying to keep it safe and isolated to not hurt any incoming travelers or merchants".


In his mind Vonoros was slightly delighted at Videl’s taking charge of this, “Thank the gods for this fellow’s assertiveness, hopefully, he keeps it up and leaves me time to relax while he does all the hard work”.



He then jumped into the air three times (1) his normal reach, almost hovering directly above the boulder by about ten feet before raising his quarterstaff above his head as he eventually fell above the boulder slamming the top of it with as much force as he could muster. A large cracking noise could be heard from the boulder as the triton then jumped off the top of the boulder.

---

1. Long Stride

Whilst Videl had seen a wealth of new things since he had left home, he had yet to see an individual that had performed the feat that Vonoros just had. Just how strong would one have to be to be able to clear through the air like that? Ten feet into the air was an absurd amount for a base level jump and from what he could tell, the Triton's calves hadn't been that defined. This had to be magic of some sort. If it wasn't, than Vonoros had just become a hell of a lot more interesting.

One after the other, the pair had continued to beat down upon this boulder. Having seen the cracks that had formed from their cumulative efforts, Videl would step in to take his turn this time around. "That was great, Vonoros. Real impressive, honestly. You'll have to show me how you did that later on." Rather than approach the boulder this time, Videl would head towards his Triton companion. "To make the most out of your weapon though, I suggest learning this." Videl's hand would than be placed atop of the shaft of Vonoros's quarterstaff. Whilst glowing blue and giving off an aura of cold, Videl would emit his magic onto the outer layer of the shaft. In doing so, the shaft of the quarterstaff would find itself coated in jagged ice ^{[Cold Touch]}. "With something like this in your repertoire, you should be able to more effectively deal with your opponents, be they object or creature."

Videl would then step away from the man and would gesture towards the rock with a flick of his wrist. "Feel free to test it if you'd like. I'm certain that you won't be disappointed in the results." The T'saya would wait to see if Vonoros would agree to test things out. All the while, as he had been speaking with the Triton, his frozen coating ^{[Frost Web]} from before had continued to place cracks within the boulder. At the rate in which it was going though, it was likely that the substance would disappear soon after.

Vonoros kept slamming his quarterstaff into the side of the boulder swinging back to back at the same spot, starting to hear the boulder crack under the two adventurer’s powerful pressure. He stepped back for a bit feeling tired, impaling his staff into the sand and leaning on it as he wiped some sweat off of his forehead. This job was proving much more hard work and effort than he was expecting. After this, he would have to take a nap for all of his hard work.



He then responds to the T'saya's comments, “Thanks dude, I’d be so down to teach ya’ how to do that, it’s pretty easy after all even a lazy guy like me can figure it out”.



Vonoros then lifted his quarterstaff from the sand and placed it in front of him as the fellow approached placing his hand on his weapon making it grow cold and have a magical feeling to its touch.



“Woah”, the triton exclaimed as he waved it around, impressed at its new form, “You’re right, having the ability to do something like this would be helpful”.



He then walks towards the cracked-up boulder swinging his newly Videl-enhanced weapon behind him before slamming it into the rock’s side before repeating the same movement again and again before backing up to observe his work impressed by Videl’s improvement on his weapon seeing its effectiveness and efficiency improve.

The thought of himself soaring ten feet in the air and then landing atop of a foe with a spear in his hand had certainly intrigued the T'saya. If he were capable of learning such an ability than he was certain that he would prove to be of more use to his companions in the future. If Vonoros had been telling the truth when he spoke of teaching Videl, than Videl would have to accept it in the future. Any additional workarounds in combat were a benefit to him after all.

This was something that would have to wait for later though, as they were currently on a mission. One that they were coming rather close to completing from the looks of things. After all the work that the two had put in, the boulder was positively cluttered with cracks, dents, and indentations. All of which had shown how close they were with finishing their task. And thanks to the efforts that Vonoros had just displayed, it was evident that they were just about done. It would likely take just another strike or two.

So as to ensure that they finished up with the boulder, Videl would approach the boulder whilst calling forth a spear of ice ^{[Ice Spike]}. He would twirl the jagged and enlarged icicle around a couple of times before raising it high over his head. With all of the strength that he could muster, he would bring the spike down upon the boulder, causing both the boulder and the ice spike to shatter. "I guess that we're really only left with the cleanup now, huh?"

It was unfortunate that Videl didn't have some kind of spell that would prove useful here. If he had been versatile in wind magic than that might have been one thing but that simply hadn't been the case. Ice magic held no real value in cleaning things up so he would simply crouch down to his knees and would begin to pick up the pieces of the boulder by hand. "I know that we could just leave this to the residents of the village but this feels like the right thing to do."

Vonoros stepped back and looked at Videl as he summoned a spear of ice and finished off the giant boulder, he was relieved that they'd finally finished and he’d be allowed to enter his period of slumber. He soon sighed loudly in his head and screamed as Videl mentioned having to clean up the mess of shattered and broken rocks that they’d made.



“Thanks for reminding me friend, yes, we should get to cleaning up this wreckage before it drops or affects merchant’s travel routes”, the triton said to the T’saya before thinking to himself, “Ugh, I just want to be rid of this nuisance of rocks. Can’t we just leave this to the village people? I mean it’s their village, why’d I gotta clean the rocks up? I’m already doing them the favor of destroying the rock due to the rewards of this job”,



He smiled politely at Videl before saying, “Yeah, I’d agree it’d be a nice thing for us to do for this village. I don’t have anything else that can help clean up though, to be honest. I have my lance made of coral, and a Dancer’s Fan, that’s kind of it. What do you think we should do to clean this place up before we get our rewards from the village chief?

While he didn't quite agree with the way that Vonoros had seen things, he couldn't help but nod along with the mans complaints. It was understandable why one might wish to depart from the land, now that they had completed their task. In this regard, having completed it in only the bare minimum of ways. "If you aren't willing to assist with this part of the process, you can always head out. I'll stick behind and take care of the rest, if you really don't want to deal with it."

Before he could really drive the point home, Vonoros would come around and decide to assist for the sake of helping the village out. The only issue at this point had been the fact that neither of them had any sort of special way to speed up the cleaning process. "Not quite sure that I have any real ways to assist in this regard either, given that most of my abilities would just leave behind a bigger mess. That being said though, we can just take care of things the way that most people might. By partaking in some good ol' manual labor."

Although these were the words that had escaped from the T'saya's lips, it was evident that he wasn't looking forward to it either. He hadn't been one of those individuals that spent all their time working out or dealing with manual labor. By appearances alone, it would be evident to those outside of himself that he was a definitive bookworm. "Sometimes you've just got to do what you can, I suppose."

Having said all that he really could at the moment, Videl would continue to pick up the hunks of shattered boulder that had been strewn about and would move them off to a less obtrusive part of the road. This way it wouldn't impede any further business that the village would need to conduct. Thankfully a few citizens of the area had decided to help the pair out. After having seen them destroy the boulder, and their efforts to clean up the mess that the boulder had caused, they had decided that it would be best to assist in the cleanup. This way everyone could go home happy.

Once the group had completed their task, Videl would offer Vonoros a soft smile before gesturing towards the village chief's place. "Suppose that we can go and claim our reward now. It was nice getting to work alongside you. Hopefully we can partake in a few more things together, in the future." Once he had claimed his reward for his efforts, Videl would draw up a letter with a small lock of his hair embedded. "If you ever need to find me, I'm sure that a messenger bird can track me down. We can set up a training session or something. Just let me know." With that having been taken care of, the T'saya would depart.

Vonoros slouches his shoulders and lets out a large sigh as Videl confirms his lack of cleaning spells and the reality that if they were going to clean up their mess they’d have to get their hands dirty.



“FF-line, you’re right let’s just get this over with”, he says exasperated and dreading having to clean up their mess, he asked rhetorically hoping that the fellow would just dismiss his suggestion. Now that he was already here and it was confirmed it would just be awkward and he’d be kind of a dick for leaving so with great laziness and apprehension.



Vonoros squatted down and picked the pieces of broken boulder and carried them over to an area where they’d be out of the way and not bother anyway. It was hard work for certain having to take multiple trips and making sure all of the boulder pieces were away from the main road area. He glanced behind him as he realized that some of the townspeople had taken it upon themselves to help them clean up. He had a faint smirk of relief as he saw it and thought, “Damned right, huh. I guess hard work and helping others does pay off sometimes”.

With the added help the group was able to complete their clean-up quicker finishing in about an hour or two. After which Vonoros wiped the sweat off his brow feeling exhausted but strangely fulfilled. The triton then walked alongside Videl to the chief’s place and knocked on the door where they found him extremely grateful and rewarded them handsomely for their help.



After receiving his much looked-forward-to reward Vonoros walked to the town square sharing some final words with Videl, “It was cool meeting you dude, I hope to see you around in the future. I'd be so down to train with you, you've already taught me a ton, I’ll be sure to let you know and take you on that offer”, he then walked away the opposite direction from the fellow ready to take a nap in the desert sands.