Month 1, Day 3, 7:45:06; Arvium, Northern Mountains

Aella shivered as her eyes fluttered open, then squinted against the bitter cold wind. She was in semi-darkness, a cave? Something covered the entrance, with the exception of an inch or two showing bright light outside. The ground beneath her was hard and crunched as she moved. She ran her hand over the surface, and curled her body tighter. Snow.

She frowned as she realized she was wearing gloves. She looked down at her body and tensed. Her hand moved underneath the white and gray spotted coat and she breath a sigh of relief. I'm still wearing my uniform. She sneezed as the fur around the collar tickled her nose. She wore thick pants as well, tucked into thick fur boots.

She leaned her head back against the snow and searched the black ceiling. That's right. Last night I was--

She groaned as bright light filled her vision and she covered her hands with her eyes.

"You're awake," a man's voice called to her. The snow crunched as he walked forward, then squatted next to her.

Aella blinked, seeing only a black outline. The sun was behind him, making it hard to look in his direction. She scrambled backward as the cave suddenly moved, and she squeaked as the dragon moved to its feet and shook its body, sending a drift of snow onto her.

She glanced up at the man and froze. He was standing, his arms crossed in front of him. The dragon walked over behind him, stretching out its wings. In its shadow, she could see him. He wore full-body black armor, but it was form fitting, rather than being bulky. His face was covered by a black helmet.

The wraith.

"Are you going to sit in the snow all day or get up?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

Aella shivered as an icy gust blew against her, making her lean into the snow. She pushed with her legs against the pile, using her knees to push it aside.

"Who are you?" she said, glancing around. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene.

They were in a valley between massive, craggy peaks covered with snow. Most of the terrain was covered in ice and glacier. She turned in a circle, seeing no entry into the valley. Other than the dragon.

"You don't know?" he asked.

She whipped around to face him, feeling her sword clang against her side. She felt it with her hand, and frowned.

He stepped toward her, then paused. "I mean you no harm, Princess" he said, bowing to her.

This guy is crazy. He's a crazy man. She shook her head and shrugged. I've been kidnapped by a crazy man.

"Catch," he said.

She glanced up and jerked as he tossed her a full-face white helmet with a black visor. She caught it and stared down at it.

"Put it on, then come get your pack."

She glanced at the man as he turned and patted the dragon on it's rib cage then walked over to the remains of a fire, turning his back to her. He picked up a white backpack and slung it on his shoulders. She turned to look at the valley, feeling to urge to run. But there is nowhere to run.

She sighed and hung her head. "This was not in my grand plan." She slid the helmet onto her head and walked over to the fire.

***

The helmet was a useful addition. It protected her face from the stinging wind, and the visor filtered out most of the blinding sunlight on the surface of the snow. Gray rock peaked out of the drifts, deadly in its rugged texture. They had been climbing a narrow path for two hours, most of the wind blocked by the twelve-foot high snow drifts on each side.

Aella paused, turning around and glancing down the ridge to the peak they had flown to only a few hours before. The steep sides of the mountain curved away from them, a white blanket for miles. The air was thin, and she had to take more breaths than she usually did in the lower altitude. Her head felt dizzy and she struggled to take a deep breath. She sniffed and turned back around, using her hands to help pull her onto the rock in front of her.

The backpack wasn't as heavy as she thought it would be, and she was still able to access her quiver and sword. She frowned. He didn't take my weapons.

She glanced up as a shadow passed overhead, seeing the dragon--Noir, apparently--fly overhead. It had been circling them every twenty minutes, then flying ahead.

Almost like it's reporting back. She turned her attention to the man walking in front of her.

The wraith was human. Six feet tall, and slim but muscular. Two sword hilts crossed his back, and the belt at his waist held several curving daggers on each side. Fighter? There weren't Elites in the Alpha Game, right? She shook her head. I'm having a hard time concentrating.

"Do you do this often?" she yelled to him, pausing to take a breath.

"Do what?" He turned to look at her, his black helmet staring at her. Her reflection was distorted in his visor, making her seem fuzzy.

"Climb mountains?"

He turned back around and started to climb again.

Aella grunted and followed after him. "The least you could do is talk to me" she muttered.

"When I have somewhere I need to go" he said.

Aella paused. That gives me no information whatsoever, but thank you, Mr. wraith. "What is your name?" she yelled up to him. She glanced up when there was no answer.

He jumped toward her, using his hand to push her down toward the ground. "Duck, and don't move" he hissed.

She looked up, seeing Noir land and flatten against a snowbank twenty feet ahead, disappearing into its shadow.

The ground pounded, snow falling from the sides of the banks and onto the path. He slowly drew his sword with his right hand, pushing her up with his left. "Change of plan," he said. "Get to Noir before it gets here."

She scrambled upward, her boots dislodging small rocks and ice chunks. The ground thudding every few seconds, each repetition coming faster and faster than the last one.

The dragon shifted, appearing in front of her, lowering its wing so Aella could climb onto her back. She jumped up, grabbing the side of the saddle and pulling herself into it.

She searched the path for the man, her head swinging wildly from side to side.

Noir took off, her wings beating the air as she rose fifty feet. The dragon shifted, leaning into the wind, and Aella screamed, swinging as she tried to maintain her balance.

The snow erupted where the dragon had just been, a monstrous white creature jumping out of the snow. Red claws jutted from its two white fur-covered arms, it's red eyes peeking out from its head. It stood from the snow, its shoulders misshapen and protruding from its furry body. The fur ended by its three scaly legs, ending in wide, flat feet that resembled the webbing on a duck's feet.

It screamed as a burst of red energy blasted through its side and it stumbled into the path. The wraith stood, his sword glistening in the sunlight.

Aella turned her head, watching a lump of snow behind him start to move.

"Dive" she shouted at the dragon, pointing at the lump.

Noir shifted, rising higher on an updraft.

"No," Aella shouted, pounding the saddle horn. She reached back, pulling her bow and an arrow from her quiver. She nocked the arrow, aiming for the moving lump of snow.

A second monster exploded from the snow, a glittering sword in its hands. It raised it high in the air, bringing it down in an arc.

The man sidestepped, missing the massive blade. He twisted, slicing the arm of the first monster.

"Defense spell," she shouted, letting the arrow fly. It shot toward the monster, sinking into its shoulder. A shock wave spread out from the monster as it fell to its knees. A gust of wind slammed into them, and Aella jerked, then screamed as her arm hit nothing but air and she started to fall.

Noir roared as she hit the ground, sinking into the soft powder. She groaned, then her eyes widened as she felt herself start to move, the ground sliding out from underneath her.