As the interaction between Ren and Cairon comes to its conclusion, something else is occurring in another part of the continent around the same time. In the south-eastern region of Ryzenguard lies an extensive mountain range, perpetually covered in snowfall year-round. The peaks of these mountains are far higher than those which the Elves dwell upon, and much more jagged in shape. This mountain range creates a natural barrier, preventing both people and animals alike from crossing over it, the conditions too harsh for most on any given day. One needs the right conditions to even have a chance at crossing over at one specific spot without dying...unless you're a certain species that calls the land beyond this mountain range their home.
One would think that a black shadow would be conspicuous travelling along the surface of the pure white snow, but it's easily obscured by heavy snowfall, making it impossible for anyone or anything to see. The black shadow easily travels up the snowy mountains with ease, reaching the peak minutes after its ascent. The peak is pure white, not only from the snow, but also from the clouds constantly covering it. Visibility is completely zero, but that doesn't matter to the shadow, beginning its decent without even adjusting its speed.
Once the shadow is a decent distance down the mountain, a Vampire exits out of their shadow temporarily, bearing a think monster fur coat. The woman, Zoffa, is the Vampire who participated in Elza's tournament. She scans her surrounding, squinting her eyes to try and see better. The snow isn't as bad as it was at the peak, but it is still falling at a decent rate, damn, I was way off. I don't see any signs of the advanced settlement. I'll have to travel along the foot of the mountain and try find it. Zoffa hastily retracts into her shadow and continues her decent.
Zoffa travels along the foot of the mountain, periodically exiting her shadow to survey her surroundings. After a few minutes of traveling southwest, she finally spots the settlement and quickly makes her way to it. As she gets closer, Zoffa exits her shadow one last time to approach her brethren guarding the wooden gate of the settlement, which is surrounded by a wall of felled logs. One of the guards, Guard Vampire A, steps forward, the spear in her hand a miss-match from the big fur coat she's wearing, "halt! Who goes there? Encroaching upon the advanced settlement without permission is a grave offence in the name of the Vampire Lord!".
Zoffa responds in a cool and collected manner as she treks through the snow, "Lord of the 1st Shadow House, returning from a mission. I came to request a progress report for the Vampire Lord before returning". The two guards flinch at Zoffa's statement, Guard Vampire A griping her spear tightly in response despite her nervousness, "m-may I please see the proof of your identification...ma'am?". Zoffa had already started loosening the cord on her keyhole neckline before the guard even asked. Opening it a little bit, she lets the guard see the number 1 branded on her sternum. Upon inspecting it, the guard immediately steps back and salutes (the other guard doing the same), "w-welcome, House Lord Zoffa!".
Zoffa doesn't pay them any attention, pulling on her keyhole's cord as she sinks back into her shadow, darting into the settlement. Guard Vampire A, "that was scary! She didn't bring along a retinue or anything, so I thought she was a vagrant. I'm glad nothing happened!". Guard Vampire B, "she said she just came back from a mission, so she's just passing through here on her way back". Guard Vampire A, "she was so much easier to deal with than the Lord of the 10th Shadow House". Guard Vampire B, "she was terrifying, especially that dog. I felt like my head would be bit off if I looked at her in the wrong way". Guard Vampire A, "I know what you mean. I thought being stationed here would be easy, but it's bitterly cold and I'm running into more big shots than I thought I'd ever meet in my life". Guard Vampire B, "but the pay's good". Guard A, "yeah, the money's good".
In the settlement, Zoffa peeks her head out of her shadow and finds herself vertically on the wall of a house. Beside her is a young girl around 5 or 6 years old sitting on a bench against the house. Zoffa's head was facing the opposite direction, so she didn't notice the girl until the girl called out to her, "e-em, hello?". Zoffa turns to face the girl, "hey there. Sorry if I startled you". Young girl, "we were told it's impolite to travel in your shadow within...em...settle-ments?". Zoffa adjusts her shadow so that she exits it in a sitting position on the bench beside the girl, "you're right, it's rude to travel in your shadow within villages, towns, cities, and settlements. That's very rude of me. I'll be careful in the future".
The girl's eyes light up as she watches Zoffa manipulate her shadow, "wow miss, you're very good at moving your shadow! Amazing!". Zoffa can't help but smile slightly as the child's red eyes fill up with wonder, "thank you. I've practiced for a long time, so I'm glad someone likes it". Young Girl, "it was so cool how you came out sitting! I want to be able to do that one day!". Zoffa chuckles and rubs the girls head over her hat, "is that so? I'm sure you'll be able to one day. The more you practice, the better you'll get".
The girl asks, "really?", her voice wavering as she turns her head to look off into the distance. Zoffa follows the girl's gaze and sees a group of children not too far away, one of them climbing out of their shadow, "has your practicing not been going well?". The girl looks down at the ground, kicks her legs that are hanging off the bench, and puffs out her cheeks, "I can't go as far as everyone else." Zoffa's smile deepens due to how cute the girl is, "hm...did you know that other races can't use magic until they're adults?".
The girl looks at Zoffa out of the corner of her eye, "really?". Zoffa gives the girl another head pat, "really. That's why using magic as a child is a very special thing that only Vampire children can experience. Even if you can't go far now, if you keep practicing, you'll eventually be able to go long distances without getting out of your shadow. However, even if you can't go a long distance, being able to control your distance is the most important thing. The people who can do that are considered the true masters of shadow magic. And it's said that those who can't go far distances at the start are much better at distance control".
The girl fixes her hat as she looks at the other children, determination welling up from within her. The girl says, "thank you, miss!", before hopping off the bench. However, she misjudges the distance, her butt getting caught on the very edge of the bench and causing her to fall forward, her face heading straight for the ground. Zoffa quickly reacts, extending her foot and extending her shadow to where the girl will fall. The girl falls into it briefly before being sprung right back out, falling face-first into the snow off the path. She lifts her face from the snow in excitement and swivels around to Zoffa, "amazing! The inside of your shadow was so big! I fell so deep into it!".
Zoffa retracts her shadow and helps the girl up, brushing the snow off the girl, "my shadow is only a little bigger that most adults. I'm sure yours will be the same size, if not bigger, when you grow up". The girl smiles in response as she dusts off the rest of her coat, "thank you, miss. You're very kind". Zoffa smiles in joy at her, "you're welcome. Now go on, join your friends". The girl runs off, briefly turning back to give Zoffa a wave. Zoffa watches the young girl go, a genuine heartfelt smile welling up, but with a hint of confliction involuntarily sneaks into her smile before she starts heading in the opposite direction of the girl. A gust of cold air causes Zoffa to shiver as she walks along the path, "I want to get back into my shadow".
Within a minute of walking, Zoffa reaches the most important looking building in the settlement, entering it without knocking. Upon doing so, she's greeted by another Vampire giving a curtsy bow upon realising who she is, "I, Telatia, offer my greetings to my House Lord, Zoffa Caligari". Zoffa dismisses Telatia's formality with the wave of a hand as she sits on the couch, "I'm too cold to deal with formalities from my own cousin. Get me a hot drink and the latest progress report".
Telatia immediately drops all formality and heads towards the fire, poring hot water into a cup, "yes, yes. As m'lord commands. Since you asked for a hot drink, does that mean you want tea for once?", she says as she puts a tea ball infuser into her own cup. Zoffa wraps herself in the think animal fur blanket on the couch, "don't ask if you know the answer. I don't know how you can like that stuff". Telatia passes Zoffa her hot water before placing her tea on the table, "it's nice to have something differenet every once in a while". Zoffa looks at the tea, the memory of a bitter taste causing her to recoil. Telatia retrieves the latest report and hands it to Zoffa before joining her on the couch, "here, miss can't stand the cold. But are you sure you should be here?".
Zoffa takes the report as she sips her hot water, "thanks. I need to make sure there's nothing that needs immediate reporting before going back home. Anything I should know about?". Telatia sips her tea, grimacing only slightly at the bitterness, "in terms of the tunnel, noting much. The slaves are working steadily, and half the metal mined is being delivered to the Demons at a steady rate, as agreed. The gemstones are being kept or sold at a reduced price to the Demons with no problems so far. What else...the slave welfare programme is producing results, and their feedback is showing their moral is several times higher compared to when they were first delivered by the Demons, leading to good productivity".
Zoffa scans the report with a keen eye as she sips her hot water, "hm...so things are steadily on the rise. Anything to report unofficially?". Telatia, "unofficial reports...nothing that would interest any of the higher-ups. Everything is just as the report says. As for the 1st Shadow House specifically, not only did the Lord of the 10th Shadow House cross over to personally oversee the slave welfare inspections, but some members of the 4th Shadow House also went with her". Zoffa stores the report in her shadow before sighing and rubbing her temple, "they must have got some orders to set up secret shadow points...I don't wanna think about the future". Telatia, "and the 10th House Lord had her hound on full display with the Demons around. She must be under some type of orders too".
Zoffa puts down her empty cup and pretend covers her ears, "I don't wanna hear anymore. Things are gonna get complicated real soon and I don't wanna know any more!". Telatia chuckles before setting her own cup down, "I thought you would have crossed paths with them when returning over the mountain?". Zoffa puts her hands down, "I saw a glimpse of them in the distance, so I went around and crossed in my shadow". Telatia, "knowing you, you would've crossed through the pass in your shadow anyway. I guess it wouldn't make much difference if you'd end up a bit lost one way or the other".
Zoffa rises, almost reluctant to part with the blanket, "a little lost and warm is better than being cold". Telatia chuckles as she rises to embrace Zoffa, "then here's a warm hug before you set of on your not so cold journey back home". Zoffa returns the embrace, a little more deeply than she intended. Telatia, "I'm sure I'll be visiting with congratulatory gifts soon. Be sure to keep it together when the time comes. You'll on make her worry when you should be reassuring her. I can just imagine you all over the place when the time comes". Zoffa separates from Telatia with a pout and heads towards the door, "I swear, I don't why people keep telling me that! I'm not that much of a no-good wife!". Zoffa opens the door for a split second before the cold wind makes her shut it at lightning speed. Zoffa remains frozen in place with her hand on the doorhandle for a second before quickly sinking into her shadow and darting under the door. Telatia sighs, "at least wait till you're out of the settlement. I swear, she's such a child sometimes".