The chill winds settled in as the day wore on. With them, the weather brought curtains of icy snow, waves of ethereal flakes washing over the rocky paths. It was almost as if the wind howled in agony and rage, as someone dared approach its domain. Luceris muttered curses under his breath as he drew his cloak tightly around his slight frame. His lengthy, mercury silver mane fluttered behind him in the wind, as did his billowing cloak, a touch too light for the weather. Well, how was he to know? He'd avoided the mountain as much as possible, and anyway, he certainly hadn't lived here his whole life. As he inched up the icy path, he steeled himself for the remainder of the climb. It was only going to get colder, after all. There was no sense in hoping that the weather would apologise and politely shuffle away.<br/><br/>It was nearly another hour or so until he reached the shelf of rock, the stony lip into the dark, uninviting cavern. Inspecting its circumference, he was certain almost any manner of beast could fit in there, be it dragon or not. However, regrettable though it was, he'd come here to do more than simply peer at the entrance. Just the night before, the storm was at it's most intense. Snow, hail, all manner of precipitation came down in sheets that smothered the town and the surrounding land, trying its hardest to cover all that could be surveyed in impenetrable white. To make matters worse, the watch spotted a dark shadow in the maelstrom of snow - a hulking, bestial figure with great, powerful wings and a slender tail lashing behind it as it wheeled about and disappeared into the tempest. Luceris remembered well the meeting that ensued.<br/><br/><i>"We can't possibly send anyone or anything up the peaks in a storm like this! That's prepostr-</i><br/><i>"And you think we can wait? A veil of cloud and snow blinds us to the skies, and you want to wait!?</i><br/><i>"Aye, he's right y'know. The white wyrm ain't afeared o' no storm, mighty or not.</i><br/><br/>The next thing he knew, he'd volunteered to seek it out and put it down if needs be. A handsome reward was promised, though of course it would undoubtedly be shared between him and the rest of the party. Bah... The rest of them. None of<i>them</i>had to drag their tails hundreds of feet up to a white dragon's lair. But still, Luceris had to quell their thoughts. This wasn't about them, or about gold, or even any treasure the dragon might harbour. This was about keeping the beast away from the town. The safety of the townsfolk was the reward he sought, and the monetary recompense was... Well, an added bonus<br/><br/>Keeping his distance from the entrance, he performed the usual motions. His hands whirled about in intricate patterns, his voice coming out in clouds of mist as he spoke the words into the icy wind. Seconds later, the young Tiefling disappeared from sight, completely invisible to the naked eye. After that, he was keen to keep the going slow, as he rounded the corner into the cave. There was a moment of conspicuousness, as snowflakes no doubt settled against thin air, but he was quick to brush them off as he came into the icy chamber. Now that he was out of wind, he pulled his cloak close and raised his eyes to investigate...<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>