The demon twitched inside her in reply, though it seemed different from the normal, languid slithering that ussually signified its presence. It was like a lazy turning or twitching, like someone shifting after being wakened from a slumber. Its voice was dull and lazy as it spoke, though it quickly grew more and more dynamic as the shifting scales against her ribs returned to its normal state, though the response to her thoughts was cryptic and vague.<br/><br/><span style="color: red">"I think that you should keep your wits about you Katrina. This place will have greater importance than you realize."</span><br/><br/>The night passed without event. The predators of the peaks seemed content to leave the small party to their own devices, and nothing emerged from the cave as the hours of darkness passed one after another. For those who sat watch there was a certain cold, ethereal beauty to be enjoyed, as spears of moonlight pierced the canopy of the pine forest and set the snow below aglimmer with a haunting luminescence. Dawn came, bleak but clear, the air cold and crisp as they broke camp. Their guide's mood seemed even more dour than it had in their days of travel, the huntress' brow was furrowed in a perpetual scowl and she sent frequent, furtive glances at her companions as they gathered up their gear, Diarah in particular. After eating a quick meal of salted meat and dry biscuits, Astrid handed them each a trio of thick wooden torches, wrapped with thick burlap soaked in tar. Unlimbering a short hunting spear from her back, the Hyldnir lit her own torch and led them into the jagged, gaping maw in the side of the mountain.<br/><br/>The first few yards were tough going, the floor of the sloping tunnel was covered in tightly packed snow which had been blown in by the wind and pressed together to form a surface as hard and slippery as ice. Astrid seemed to have no problem with her footing whatsoever, but the others had to watch their step intensely lest they slip and crash to the hard floor, or fall head-first into the tunnel, fortunately the jagged walls offered plenty of grips to hold on to. Soon the floor evened out and the tunnel broadened, allowing them to walk several abreast. There was a marked difference in the geology as they entered the new section of the cave. The packed snow beneath their feet gave way to solid rock, and the sides of the tunnel became smooth and free of the jagged spines that had characterized the first stretch. At closer examination, the walls looked as if they had been molten and re-set, waves of smooth stone running in patterns down the side of the tunnel, like water freezing in mid-flow down a wall. The ceiling too was smooth, with no stalagtites, for no moisture would make its way here, the peaks keeping their downpour frozen on the outside of the mountain.<br/><br/>"Jormungard." Astrid remarked. "They spit acid unto the rock to soften it before they dig their way through. They made this part of the tunnel, though they are not the ones who lay claim to them now."<br/><br/>The Vrykul's demeanor had changed drastically as they descended into the darkness. Before she had seemed depressed, distant, even hostile, now the huntress was as if transformed. Her movements were fluid and graceful as she stalked forwards, her muscles almost vibrating with an intense vigour, ready to react at a moments notice. A cool clarity showed on her face, yet her eyes burned with an intense focus and purpose. This was the visage of a Hyldnir huntress stalking her prey, the very image of the might of the vrykul, her companions could not but take heart that she was on their side in this endeavour. Yet, as they descended the adventurers would get an ever increasing feeling that something was wrong. Although the footing had become easier, the treck forward seemed harder and harder for each step, as if the air itself was growing thicker and offering more resistance. The darkness around them seemed to flow and cling to the light around their torches, like an oily residue barely held at bay by the feeble flames, eager to smother their weak light and choke the intruders with its blackness.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>