Consciousness was returned to Katrina's mind as she woke up from her long and deep sleep. Thankfully, and perhaps luckily even, despite yesterday's nightmarish events with fighting the strange beast at the crash site and another brawl against the demon, dangerously tasting the flaming surface of her inner demonic side, Katrina had not suffered any tormenting dreams. Her sleep had been peaceful, as if her problems did not exist anymore. A full night's sleep was rare for her, and her exhausted and troubled mind had welcomed it. Slowly, she opened her eyelids and rubbed them to make herself more awake. Yawning and groaning lightly, cracking noises were heard from the joints in her limbs as she stretched and twisted to ease herself of the stiffness within them. The bed she had slept in had been pleasantly warm and soft, albeit quite a bit oversized because the furniture had been carved for a tall and broad vrykul rather than a smaller human. The pair of blankets had actually provided enough warmth for her to sleep wearing only her panties. As soon as she lifted off the two blankets from herself, the first made of the thick and shaggy fur of a winter rhinoceros, and the other of finely made wool, the chilly air in the room washed over her warm body, causing hundreds of tiny goosebumps appear on her half naked body. If only she could remain under the blankets a little while longer. However, such comfort could not be afforded while on the call for duty as a human and a paladin loyal to the kingdom of Stormwind, the Alliance and the Light together. With a quiet grunt she got up from the bed and continued her routine morning course. The next step was to put on her clothes; the padded winter boots and gloves, the supportive bra, the tight fitting but soft and comfortable two-pieced long underwear, the expensive carnelian (dark red) blouse, the black and somewhat worn trousers. To top it all, she equipped her thick cloak, pulling the hood over her head. Looking into the mirror, Katrina groomed the strands of her crimson hair as good as she could. While there was no real purpose in caring about what remained of her human appearance, she still cared for her hair as a way to maintain her human, mortal habits.<br/><br/>It was another day. Another day to pursue her quest. Another chance for great progress or suffer another setback. There had been too much of the latter the past few weeks. Even though her will remained strong, it had been dented and she would welcome even the smallest step towards success.  However, she first had to deal with a side-quest to earn the trust of the vrykul in the village. Only with their trust could she progress on with the next vital step to travel to Ulduar, where she would be sure to find something very important, a big piece of the puzzle. There, she could find either salvation or death.<br/><br/>Leaving her room behind, the demonic sword sheathed in her hand, she descended the wooden stairs leading down to the largest place of the inn, the main hall where the drinking, eating, talking and even the drunken fighting and dancing were done. Her senses were met with the aromas of warm, freshly cooked breakfast. Despite the taste and the aroma, of the food, the friendly and social company of the giant vrykul innkeeper, Katrina consumed her food and drinks almost mechanically, paying little attention to them. Her gaze wandered off occasionally, staring blankly at walls or random objects found within the hall. Her face was stiff, void of expressions like a mask. While she had never been the most openhearted person due to her active life as a soldier and paladin, the demonic curse within her had made her even more sheltered. It was part of a defence, her own as well as others. The less they knew about her, the better.<br/><br/>After having paid the innkeeper, adding a few extra coins for the mirror she broke last night, Katrina left the inn with the rest of the party members and headed towards the east gate. The cold winds were immediately upon them. The travel from the inn to the gate was relative short, yet felt much longer. Each step was a struggle, but Katrina hurried, wanting this to be over as soon as possible, hoping it would not waste too much of her precious, limited time.<br/><span style="color: Red">"Indeed."</span>Her reply was short and adequate enough. The paladin's voice shared the female vrykul's cold and callous tone. She did not believe the towering woman would need any longer reply to inform the group how to get to their destiation. Perhaps the vrykul would guide them even.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>