A Snake Meets the Angel of Ice. [Hero Quest Mission]

Not too long ago Volund had been in Karakura enjoying the Winter Festival being held, even going as far as entering one of several exhibition matches that had taken place. The match itself allowed Volund to see he had far to go, both in recovery, and mastering himself; body & mind. In the days following the match Volund had picked up on a broadcast from one Cirno Iramasha. It seemed the Iramasha was willing to train those who fought for some sort of justice, and welcomed the training. If allowed to do so this was something the blonde knew he had to take advantage of. Especially if recent events in the world continued. Conflict appeared to be on a rise as of late, with several large events occurring in the span of two years. Being absent from the latest events had left a bitter feeling in Volunds soul. While the young man usually didn't care for others, the senseless loss of life around the world left him feeling as if he should do more, despite his own issues.

And thus events led to Volund sitting aboard a flight to the Iramasha Settlement, his gaze directed out a nearby window as clouds sped by. By now the flight had been on its way for a few hours, the blonde passenger growing bored, having nothing to do aboard the private jet but watch the news. Several more hours would pass while the flight neared the Settlement, all the while Volund had been contemplating just why he was doing this. While he was sure he'd benefit from any sort of training he could receive, the blonde was unsure of just why he should receive said training. The young man knew he was sick, twisted even. Anyone who enjoyed the sight of bloodshed had to be. Yet that wasn't the only reason for his self doubt. No. Volund also knew of the darkness deep within his soul. While he may have had a better handle on himself, on it, recently, the platinum blonde knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped, and his inner darkness, his insanity, rose to the surface once again.

"Sir we have arrived above the Iramasha Settlement, and are nearing the mountains." The message would come over the jets intercom, bringing Volund out of his thoughts as he gazed out the window once again. This time rather than a few covered in clouds the young man could spot the mountains, and one in particular, the tallest one, his destination. Pushing a button on a com beside his own seat the blonde relayed his own message to the pilot, requesting to be brought as close to the peak of the tallest mountain as possible. Getting an affirmative in return Volund rose from his seat before opening several overhead compartments and pulling out any gear he thought he'd need. Several minutes later Volund, now dressed in warmer clothing, was ready to go. Parachute strapped to his back the blonde walked a door in his section of the jet. Hitting the com off to the side of the door Volunds voice called out to the pilot, "Hold er steady! I'm taking the express route!" With a yell of excitement Volund would wrench the door open, the wind rushing alongside the jet screaming into the cabin, and launch himself forward into the open sky.

As he fell through the sky, the wind roaring past, Volund could only wonder why he had never done this before. It didn't seem like skydiving was all that bad, perhaps he'd try it out again after his time on the Settlement. Falling through the air though, it was definitely a different feeling. So high in the sky Volund felt free from worry, responsibility, everything... Combined with the potential for mother nature to rip away the control from ones descent, left the blonde in a state of thrilled joy. Unfortunately, in the blondes opinion, the experience would end all too soon as he took notice to the quickly approaching mountains. Getting lost in the moment had cost the blonde a perfect landing upon the peak of the tallest mountain, leaving him instead falling alongside it with only moments left to trigger his chute. With a tug of the cord Volund held a breath and waited for his parachute to deploy and slow his descent. Or at least that's what should of happened...

On this day it seemed as if luck was against Volund... a few seconds would pass before the blondes deploying chute would snag something, bringing him to a jerking halt hundreds of meters above the ground. "Oh fuck me!" The blonde would bite out as he looked around, discovering just what had happened. As luck would have it Volunds chute had been caught upon a rocky outcropping while it was opening, causing it to tear and its cords to get tangled among the rocks. 'At least I'm not falling to my death..' The blonde thought to himself, his gaze moving about the mountainside looking for anything he could use to get himself out of such a situation. Nothing but mountain, and rock.. That's all Volund could see. Sighing to himself Volund knew there was only one way out of this without falling to his death, and that was relying on himself and his abilities. Reaching out with his spiritual energy Volund focused it around any rocks large enough to step upon, before using his telekinetic manipulation to walk himself up the rest of the mountain. It would take some time, and it would be taxing, but given his position the blonde had no other option. Of course it never did occur to him to simply try lifting himself up the mountain while standing upon two rocks he controlled...

The Summit of Heroes was surely turning into a hot-spot at this point. There were many hundreds, if not, thousands of souls beginning to venture forth to this isle to generate the hope and light of the world through heroism and meaning. It started out as something quite small, and it exploded into a force that not even The Angel of The Ice could really predict. However, she was happy that her blessing was heard to the heavens and that she could enforce her goodwill in such a way that benefited others.

Now, having said that, things were starting to get a bit TOO out of control with this calling for heroes. As it seemed that people were LITERALLY falling straight out of the sky for a chance to become something more. While doing a daily flight around the snowy mountain top, The Angel of The Ice couldn't help but glance up and notice a strange aerial craft of some kind in the sky.

She found it rather odd that such a thing was in the atmosphere. So, it only meant one thing -- something crazy was about to happen. And boy, was her hunch ever right. As she ceased her flight to witness the dilemma about to unfold, Cirno paid witness to a crazed blonde man falling straight out of a plane at many meters per second.


...

To save him -- or not to save him? That was the question posed. The guy must've had a few marbles loose to want to perform a stunt like that. So, if he was as crazed as his aura let him off to be, then surely he must've had had a way to land safely, right?

Going along that line of logic, Cirno would not jump in and rescue him from his fall. No. She wanted to observe and see how this played out as this guy was jacked out of his mind to her. Her oceanic eyes kept a keen view on the male as he fell from grace and she couldn't help but snicker at his failure. It was childish fun, but she knew he'd be fine since there was a fair amount of spiritual energy that she sensed from the male.

Therefore, with that sense of energy detection still in tact, The Celestial assumed that a little fall like that wouldn't kill him in the slightest. But, it was probably time to go ahead and make her presence known! So, the six winged ice angel bounced on the air, let her pale dress flutter in the air and then took off with great speeds towards the side of the mountain which Volund was so casually walking upwards upon.

In that instant, a calming and cool breeze would then wash over the backside of the male as The Iramasha started to hover at quite the leisurely pace alongside him. In that moment, perhaps he may even begin to feel a sense of increased energy, relaxed state of mind and sensations akin to livid serenity and earnest thought. For, even in her childish form, the four foot eleven youth still possessed a strongly heavenly aura meant to bring the best in people out.

And, given how wild the energy was from this guy, it would be quite the amusing thing to see what sort of beast she'd bring out in him. So, with a tap on his shoulder, The Angel of The Ice would let out a snicker and utter these words to the man:

"Well, hello there~! I am Cirno Iramasha and I take it you are here for the training, right? A silly-goose like you sure looks like it!"

In between giggles and laughs, the small little celestial seemed quite chipper and pleased with herself. And -- why wouldn't she? The show the guy put on was quite the spectacle and it got her to enjoy herself. So, she figured she'd let him know with her jovial body language. Her arms were loose, the pulsation of feeling from her energy was breezy and it seemed as if this kid hadn't a care in the world. But, perhaps that's what it is to maintain the flare of a child in this form, is it not?

Along that line of logic is then why she would open up her aura further and allow Volund to experience this sense of naivety -- if he should so accept. As, in the form of an astral sense of awareness being bestowed upon him, would the male then come to understand that she was attempting to tether her soul to his so that she may understand more about this potential hero. And, in turn, he would come to understand the feisty little angel alongside him.

"So, Mr.Suicidal, what's your name? I know you got an interesting story to tell! I'm all ears!"

With every step taken towards the peak of the mountain Volund would reach out with his reiatsu before tearing a sizable rock from the mountain side and bringing it beneath his foot. Each time this was done the previous rock he had been standing on would be released from his grasp allowing it to plummet towards the ground below. At first progress had been slow, the young blond taking time to spot good rocks, as well as making sure he had a good foothold upon them once he had brought them his way. But as this method carried the male higher and higher his progress began to hasten, at least until the thinning air began to impact the blond.

Soon enough Volund was forced to slow his pace once again in order to try and adjust to the thinning air without risking his own safety. Because of this he had begun tearing larger pieces of rock from the mountain, large enough that if he were to stumble and fall he'd still land upon the rock he was using as a foothold. Of course that didn't guarantee his safety, the blond knew if he lost focus for just a moment he risked plummeting to the mountainside below, much like the footholds he had continuously ripped from the mountain. All the while three words continued cycling through the blondes mind, 'Stupid... Fucking.. Mountain...'

Continuing his taxing climb Volund was beginning to feel the affects of using his reiatsu in such a wasteful manner. The climb was definitely becoming tiring, but that wouldn't stop him. At least the blond hoped it wouldn't. If he couldn't reach the peak the young man would surely be disappointed in himself, if he survived the potential fall down the mountain. Though at this very moment it was more the fact that he could, and probably would die if he were to fall from his place alongside the mountain, that kept him climbing with sheer determination. Sure the training was what originally brought him here, but there's nothing like the fear of death to keep someone moving.

And so the blond would continue moving forward and upward, climbing closer and closer to the peak. As Volund grew nearer the peak he began sensing something.. Unsure of what it could be the blonde prepared himself for a fight, drawing back all but the absolute necessary reiatsu to keep the rock he currently stood on afloat. As if to prove his preparation useless the blonde felt a sudden, yet calming breeze come to life alongside him. As Volund felt the calm wash over him the blond also felt something else along with it, whatever was calming him seemed to also replenish his energy, or at least that was how he currently felt. Thus as his mind began to relax the blonde would reach out with his reiatsu once again, grasping a sizable chunk of the mountainside with it before tearing it, and quite a bit more from the mountain. Although he wouldn't notice right away, it would appear that the calm feeling that had washed over him allowed the blond to focus easier, and control his reiatsu even better, hence the result of his most recent rock being torn from the mountain.

Once the young males feet would touch upon the solid surface of the newest piece of mountain he would feel a light tap upon his shoulder, followed by a childish snicker. In a moment of surprise the blond would spin, his reiatsu igniting around his fist before forming into a sizable blade, which he would use in an attempt to cut down whomever it was that startled him. It never occurred to the blond that the one who was behind him could have been the one he was seeking out, Cirno Iramasha. Luckily for him the Iramasha's short stature would allow his blade to pass harmlessly over her head as she introduced herself between giggles and laughs.

Upon noticing just who it was that had tapped him upon the shoulder the blonde allowed the reiatsu blade in his hand to die down to but a flicker of golden energy before vanishing altogether. "Uhh.. sorry about that.. twitch reaction.." The blond would mutter stupidly as his violet and blue eyes settled upon Cirno. While muttering to himself Volund felt the aura of the Iramasha before him wash over him once again, this time a feeling of innocence, and naivety accompanying it. Such feelings were ones that the blonde hadn't felt in himself since before the Australian War... Oh so long ago in his past. At first the feeling was almost disturbing to the male, the darkness in his soul attempting to reject the Iramasha's aura immediately. But Volund was having none of that, he came here to train, and he'd be damned if he allowed his darkness to get in the way of it. And so with some effort, and the aid of Cirno's aura, Volund would once again bury his darkness deep in his soul.

Bringing his focus off of himself, and back to the Iramasha that stood on the air before him, the blond could only laugh as Cirno called him 'Mr.Suicidal'. Given how he arrived Volund figured one could definitely get an impression of 'attempted suicide', or just sheer stupidity from the blond. "The name is Volund. And as for my story... It's a secret!" As he finished speaking the blond would snicker at his attempt to have some fun with Cirno upon meeting her. If she really wanted to know his story, and his darkness, then he would tell her.. Just not while he was essentially a moments notice from plummeting to the ground below. And so the blonde would turn his focus to the mountain once again before continuing on his way towards the peak, ready to get his feet on some solid ground that wasn't being held aloft by his reiatsu.

Being in her child form had many advantages. One of the first? She was too short to hit. As soon as Volund went in to try and slash her real-good like with his spirit blade, The Angel of The Ice simply ducked and moved out of it's range as she snickered and laughed along the way.

This guy was pretty nuts and she liked that about him. As, if nothing else, at least this meeting wouldn't be anything boring. So, to up the ante a bit, Cirno would use her own speed in order to demonstrate the control and precision that she herself had of her body. Thus, before his hand could get away from the child, the small little angel latched herself to the wrist of his hand, sat like an owl and made a "hoot-hoot" sound when he pulled his arm back at his side.

"You are silly mister. Now isn't the time for training. Now is the time for getting off this mountain before you kill yourself or something stupid like that, hehe."

Despite weighing the size of a child, the influence Cirno had over her energy allowed her to induce a sense of magic in the world. As, with a few alterations made through her spiritual energy, she shifted the density of her body to be oh so light in order to stay attached at the hip to Volund as she kept a totally-intended casual expression throughout this whole ordeal. Making it seem as if it was just another run of the mill occurrence where she just attaches herself to strangers body parts for giggles.

"But it's okay, Mr.Suicidal. I accept your apology."

Then, like a rat, she would crawl and maneuver herself to sit upon the head of Volund. In that moment, The Angel then crossed her legs Indian style and seemed to be in deep contemplative thought. And while she was doing this for comedic effect, Cirno wasn't entirely a fool. With her acute senses and awareness to the metaphysical world, she could certainly feel the clashes of inward rebellion from the shadows of this suicidal nutjob's spirit lashing out. They were screaming, groaning and fuming at their essence being subdued and sedated from the light of Cirno's aura attempting to soothe and relax them.

So, if nothing else, Cirno deduced that there was probably going to be more than meets the eye when it came to dealing with this crazy guy's story and training. But, for now, that wasn't important. What was important was keeping him and her entertained. Thus, like a drummer tapping on a drum, The Master Player of The Ice would tap on Volund's head and use his cranium as her own musical instrument.

"Oh~ Such~ Darkness~ Spooky, spooky Suicidal! We are gonna have fun!"

Attempting to sound on point with her crummy singing and song making, the youthful celestial certainly seemed to be enjoying herself. And, at the same time, as to did the blonde. Since she noticed the male beginning to laugh at her interactions. Which is why, in return, she chuckled and snickered alongside with him.

"We~ Are~ Gonna-Gonna find that secret out!"

She continued her song, but not before wrapping her legs firmly around Volund's neck. It wouldn't be enough to suffocate or strangle him, but it was meant to firmly lock him in place.

"So~ Hold on tight~ Don't make a fright~! And let's take FLIGHT!"

Then, on that last lyric, the eyes of The Angel turned bright blue and both of them would more than likely be devoured by a blue and white light. Upon that moment, a long, devious snicker would be heard coming out of the mouth of The Angel as she sought to take off like a rocket and propel them both to the top of the moment at Mach Three Speeds.

With sonic booms away, The Blondie certainly would have gotten a much more thrilling ride than the one he took to drop down here. Thunderous booms would rock the rigid cliff side, a strong force of gravity would seek to push his body down and he'd be at the utter mercy of the little girls legs. So, it would be most advised that he cling to her during this time until they reached the peak of this summit.

For, at her rate of speed, it certainly wouldn't take much of any time to reach the top of the mountain. As, when that time came, the sight of a massive igloo would be had in a scene of snow and placid white sun everywhere. It was the perfect scene befitting a home which belonged to a Celestial of Icehood! Thus, when they were within safe dropping distance -- she'd unlock her legs and deliver the poor goof straight to the soft, cold and snowy ground.

"HOME SWEET HOME!"

She'd holler out that phrase with much enthusiasm, but not after letting out a nonchalant yawn and looking back down at Volund with a playful smile. It was clear as crystal that she had plans for him and she was certainly going to make that intent known. As, with her vibrant energy still afoot, she'd blissfully utter out these words and hoped he'd spill the beans:


"Now....give me the details, please!"

With a grin as bright as the white skies above them, The Angel of The Ice really seemed to have a colorful way of getting things done. For, at this point, she'd hope he'd get to the point of his origin because they were out of harms way and in her personal domain now. So, there was no distractions and she could to the heart of the matter! Or rather, into his heart to find out what the heck beat behind it!

Hurry, hurry! Time is a wasting!