"How is that any of your business, Alex?" Stallus asked. She got up and also started carving out the heart of the monster in front of her. Soon, she had the bloody thing out.

Azaroth used his Fire Spray over the monster’s heart, resulting in a half-burnt piece of meat. He didn’t care, though. With the white fur around him, he hunkered down and started eating.

The others shared a look. This was far from what they ate the night before, but then again, they were in the woods and not in bitter snow then.

Catena and Alex also carved out the monsters’ hearts and put them in front of Azaroth, together with Stallus. He sprayed fire over the three.

The fur was an excellent cloak against the cold, and after eating, they talked about what to do. The door didn’t tell them what they were supposed to do in this place, after all.

Should they wait here in this cave? Or should they descend from the mountain? If they stayed here, the cold would kill them before almost anything else did. They had to get out of this harsh environment.

What Azaroth wanted to know was if there was any specific objective for being here. Were they here because they were supposed to kill monsters in this place? Or for another reason entirely?

After they rested a little, they stood up, their decision made. They started to climb down. It was a little easier this time, almost as if the snow-white fur gave their limbs extra energy, but still, they blended in with the snow.

Slow but steady, they climbed down until they reached the bottom of the mountain. The land below was also covered in such snow that it was difficult to imagine that this much snow fell from the sky because there was no storm or clouds in the sky.

"Is it me," Stallus began, "or is the sun getting too hot for my liking?"

They stopped and looked up. It wasn’t just her. It was getting hot, fast. The cold wind had long stopped, and what was blowing now was a hot wind that seemed as if it was lifted from the surface of a volcano.

Azaroth paused. Something is very wrong here. The snow started to melt very fast.

"We have a problem," Catena said.

He didn’t have to point it out. They all could see. They were suddenly not standing in the middle of snow anymore; they were standing in front of ice waters.

But that wasn’t the problem. They were at the base of a mountain that was covered in snow. Now, the snow had suddenly turned to water that came down in a mighty rush from the top.

They ran. They covered themselves in essence and took off at a run, but the rushing water on the ground made it difficult. The mountain wave was unavoidable, and it slammed into them with enough force to shatter trees.

It carried them and rolled them with the trees and rocks that the big wave carried with it. There was nothing they could do but follow along.

Azaroth tried his best to correct his stance, but the water was too big, and it dragged them all until they lost consciousness.

When they finally opened their eyes, they found themselves on soft green grass, still wet with the melted snow. Azaroth tried to sit up and stiffened.

His hands and legs had been bound by someone. His mind went to the team immediately. Were they the ones that did this? Were they finally showing their true colors?

But as he jerked his head around, he saw that it wasn’t them. They were also bound, both legs and hands. They lay unconscious, except for Stallus, who was looking at him. She raised her brows at him.

Now that he was calm, Azaroth looked at his hands and saw they were bound by a plant rope. It was something he could easily snap if he applied a little bit of force.

He heard hissing and looked around until he saw them. Monsters. They were scaly, with reptilian heads and the bodies of salamanders, but still, they stood on two legs, their red scales shimmering.

Azaroth shook his head. The water must have made them uncontrollable enough that the monsters took advantage, but what he was most curious about was what they wanted to do with them.

Monsters eat their kill immediately. Why are they tying them up?

Azaroth sat up, and the monster closest to him knocked his head with its sword. He sighed softly; at least they brought their weapons.

Azaroth had never seen or heard of these types of monsters before. The monsters were in the same ranks as Azaroth and the rest, but they were displaying intelligence far above their ranks.

He looked around. He was sure they were still in the same place, but why did the place now look like some summer lands? Looking at it now, one couldn’t say it was covered in bitter snow hours before.

Everything was green, and the sun shone well, the air was warm.

It was then that he realized they had removed the fur from them.

"What is going on here?" Alex asked. He sat up and looked at his hands. Then he looked from Azaroth to Stallus.

"Just play along for now," Stallus said.

The monsters hissed at them, and Alex glared at them until one of the monsters slapped him on the face. Alex’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and he might have done who knows what, but Stallus whispered fast to him to keep it together.

Azaroth just shook his head. He wanted to know how these monsters came to be, and he had a feeling it had something to do with the environment here.

The monsters were hissing among themselves, and he wondered if this was how they communicated. He had never heard of such a thing happening in the lower ranks, though. It was something only the high-rank monsters did.

It reminded him again that he was in a self-made, styled crypt.