The ice worm was churning ever-closer, steaming ahead with a grinding noise and plowing through the snow. Every time it dove, it seemed like another blizzard was added to the present one. Virgil could feel snow-weight accumulating on her flank by the second, and her hide was losing its persistent warmth by the second. To compensate, she tried to pick up the pace, keep her muscles pumping and staying warm. Every breath was short, trying to keep the cold air in her lungs for the shortest amount of time.

There was a bellowing noise, and the rimeling's icy eyes turned back. There was still the weight of a feathery dog on her back, but one of the larger creatures was subject to the snow-beast's mercy. Virgil watched as she threw herself to the side, scraping out of the way in time - but perhaps too close to the hole left behind by the destructive monster.

The bison lowed, lowering her head and moving full-tilt towards Ivory, calling, "hey, c'mon! Let's get you up 'n goin', alright?" She skidded to a half, head moving sidelong to push against a spiny white hide and urge Ivory up and to safety. "All these lil guys need big warm gals like us!"

Vinea was totally and utterly conflicted about the whole situation.

One moment, he swore he was breathing down the silver fox's neck and waiting for her to drop so he could safely take the key and not feel awful about it; the next, she'd just disappeared into white.

Bug-eyed and staring around, the odd beast doubled back. His bio-luminescence flared brighter with worry and an instinctive need to light up, why can't I see anything? Vinea's eyes traced every part of the nonexistent horizon, the sensation dizzying enough to send him stumbling a few steps. The group was moving on, but that key'd looked awfully important and they might need it (if it wasn't just a novelty item to just have.)

Vinea caught sight of a small shape in the snow, and tore off after it. It seemed like nothing at first, but he knew the glint of metal anywhere. Not particularly caring about the ice worm mucking about underfoot, he yelped sharply, a guttural sound of "h-hey!" He clambered to the surface of the snow-laden dunes, flapping out his gliders so he could stay on top of them and catch up to Null as she ran in a blind panic. Snow sprayed everywhere as he fanned out his tail and sank to his elbows to grab the fox by her scruff and try and climb back to the top of the powdery surface.

Once or twice, his mandibles split - going slack and nearly dropping Null as he tried to run back to the warmth and safety of the rest of the group heading to the Marshes.

Darkness was starting to fall like a curtain over Hargrave's mind, unheeding of the more physical and literal shadows falling across Hydra as nighttime seemed to fall. Long ago, her extremities had started to accrue this strange burning sensation where they contacted the snow, and - Caves, it all hurt. They were numb, she could hardly breathe though the pain of every breath through her nose. She swore, at some point, blood was dripping down her face and burning. The snow beneath her was spattered in red.

At least the biting wind seemed to be the least of her worries as she turned, dizzy and dazed by the omnipresence of nothing to guide her. No landmarks. No shifts in the terrain. Nothing. Not even a shape loomed in the distance.

Hargrave wanted nothing more than to curl up and lie down, trying to warm herself up - but it'd be a waste. Something niggled at her mind, saying that it'd be a waste to stay here. She needed to find someone, get back to their side - "null..." she croaked softly, to herself, voice lost to the wind. Then she could spend her magic trying to warm up. She shambled forwards in some direction, exactly opposite to the one she'd come in...

... right?

Shida whipped around, trying to find Ivory, but it was so difficult to see in the storm. She grit her teeth. Dammit, they were supposed to stay together! Well...she'd just have to trust that she was doing okay and catch up to her later. She wasn't going to die in this storm. Please be okay, sis! She trudged on through the snow, head against the blizzard.

The world was darkening, but it was still blindingly white. Which meant the form of the darker-colored canine was stark against the monotone colors. She was going the wrong way and Shida couldn't help but change course to steer her the right way. "Hey, man, come on, the group's this way. You can make it." The dog looked horrible and she felt a twist at her gut, but still opened one of her short wings to guide the dog. "Here, follow me."

Shida is attempting to save Hargrave

As darkness fell, Wynter found it harder and harder to get his barrings-- he wandered aimlessly through the snow, ears pricking at each distant call made by the others. How had he gotten so far from them in such short time? At least with all of their yelling, Wynter felt like he could catch up to them, eventually. He just had to power through the bitter, biting cold that was making his legs feel like icicles.

Maybe there was some irony in being named Wynter. He certainly felt like the freezing cold that enveloped him, the harshness beginning to make him feel like his own magicka was a curse-- what good did water do but freeze in conditions like this?

It was Vazi's magic, though, and-- what little he could remember-- it was wrong to look at it like a curse. Shivering, he finally saw the others through the night's darkness, and sped up to stumble into Virgil and Ivory. "I thought I was lost," he huffed, "I hope that snow worm doesn't come back."

WYNTER HASIRA
Like walking in the rain and the snow
When there's nowhere to go
And you're feelin' like a part of you is dying

bad mouth mustelid

Keeping tabs on everyone wasn't the easiest thing, and even with everyone doing their best and hollering up a storm, he quickly noticed that the one that had grabbed the key had bolted off in the wrong direction. "Hey! Whoever you are! Stick with the group! Come on, wait-- get back here!" Ears pricking, and bouncing around in the snow like a weasel war chief on a dance parade, he got an idea.

After all, the key the fox had was metal, wasn't it? Probably one of the dumbest ideas that Fisher had ever had (and he, being one of the oldest and dumbest gems in the whole caves, had many, many stupid ideas) but it was at least meant in good spirits. With a twitch of his whiskers, and a focus of magic rushing through his cracked gem, he tried to pull the metal key toward him and reorient her.

Like he had been wrangling metals all his life (he had not), the key started to drag toward him and the rest of the group more, though he had to be careful not to yank it out of Null's mouth. "There you go, fluffbutt! This way, that's it!" Delighted with himself, the furry noodle puffed up with pride and even bounced toward the fox. "We're almost there!"

... well, if this were a road trip, there were probably at least five more "are we there yets" left to go, but this Mini Noodle Dad wasn't about to let that get him down.

fisher is attempting to save @null !

As the darkness further fell, as the Gembound scrabbled in the snow and saved one another here and there from certain death--cheating all odds--something... began to happen.

The key, clasped so tightly in Null's jaws, began to glow a soft blue--and somewhere, somewhere far, far ahead, a gentle blue glow illuminated canyons and ravines beyond the pale veil of snow. It faded, then--but it had been visible, if but for a moment: a goal, a destination, something to aim for.

That ominous feeling of being watched, however, thrummed through them all: urgent, fearful. The Crucible was close: but the Ice Worm yet lurked, burrowing for the stragglers. The ground beneath the huddling Imp and Kalama rumbled softly, and bristling spines breached the surface, moving slowly now... hunting.

And then it came for Vinea, the lone Gembound drawing it: and then for those with Null and Fisher, its vast and spined body lurching forward.

Desert Rose, Palefur, and Agate were perhaps a little luckier; all they had to contend with was the blinding blizzard, and the falling darkness all around them.

___________

Desert Rose, Palefur, and Agate must roll to avoid becoming lost, one last time, in the blizzard. If they succeed in their rolls, they may reach the 'safety' of the Crucible.

Null, Virgil, Vinea, Hargrave, Ivory, Warrior, Wynter, Fisher, Lyra, Shida and Oleander must roll to progress safely. If they fail they may again become separated--or targetted by the Ice Worm... Vinea may roll to attempt to rejoin, if he wishes, the group crossing the Dunes. Those who succeed may also reach the Crucible, though they will still be behind those ahead of them.

Imp and Kalama must both roll to avoid attracting the Ice Worm's attention, or perhaps to distract it away from them. A Critical Fail on this roll will result in a severe injury as the Ice Worm attempts to consume them. They are too far behind to reach the Crucible this round, if they attempt to move.

Placements:
1st: Desert Rose, Palefur
2nd: Agate
3rd: Null, Virgil, Vinea (ALONE), Hargrave, Ivory, Warrior, Wynter, Fisher, Lyra, Shida, Oleander
3rd: Kalama, Imp

@Desert Rose Thirty-Five (Null) @Imp (Ivory, Warrior) @Agate Two-Three-Six (Wynter, Fisher) @Virgil (Vinea, Hargrave) @Shida (Palefur, Lyra, Oleander) @Kalama

They must be getting close. His wing-flaps were waning in speed, his flight-path descending closer to the sands as ice crusted over him. Cold... Caves, it was so cold.

No. he had to snap out of it. Huffing, he shook his head, blinking hard to flap forward with barely renewed strength. He just... Had to not get lost. Piece of cake, right?

His eyes caught the glow, though, and that- that fueled him, eyes refocusing in the swells of snow to drive himself onward even more. The walls were raising around him, and he slowed, drifting closer to the floors to bring him into safety. He couldn't risk bashing into the canyon walls at this rate, now, could he?

He had to find someplace safe. But, what was that glow..? Shaking his head, he paced closer to a rock carved by wind, curling himself in behind it to wait and see who had survived that blizzard. He might as well regain his strength while he was here.

Desert will be remaining in place.

Imp scowled, drawing closer. He couldn't see the dumb bird, but he was pretty sure she was calling herself the Dumb Asshole of the Caves-? Sure, whatever; that wasn't a title he wanted, anyway.

"Did I SEE?! I can't SEE shit!" he squalled, latching onto the cut-off sentence. He squinted his empty eye sockets. "...Snow worm?" he asked slowly, and now real fear spiked through him.

"Is THAT what that was?!" For a moment he went still, pondering. It had been huge, and he sincerely doubted that Kalama alone had frightened it off--and arms?? Since when had she had arms--

...But before he could ask, something... stopped him. A soft, grinding sound. A slow churn of snow and rock.

"Shhhhh," he hissed, urgently, and pressed down, scrambling to lie against Kalama, body-to-body.

"Don't. Fucking. Move. It's here," he whispered, as quietly as he dared, as close to her as he could come.

Gatto could see, uh, well... Nothing. Darkness surrounded them, and with no one around to keep them awake, they only had their own endurance to count on. Such was the way of the trials.

They were filled with a faint hope, however, and that was catching up to Desert Rose; another champion. They knew that the dragon was in front of them, and as long as they kept moving, eventually the storm, and the darkness, would pass. At least, the cockatrice had to believe that.

Agate couldn't even remember what it felt like to be in the sweltering, blistering glow of the Hydra. It was funny, after so many tortuously hot trials through the desert, with burns on their feet and sun blinding their eyes, the freezing darkness was a fresh new hell. Had there ever been warmth, or had they just imagined it?

Their steps were slowing. Each and every one was getting to take more and more energy. They did not stop, but they had ended up a grueling pace, one that made them think they might just fall asleep while walking. Maybe they would freeze into a statue, a warning for those behind them.

The thought... It didn't scare them, anymore.

SURGE AHEAD INTO DANGER OR PERISH