nextgenerationmarvel

They will get a hint of something. About a mile and a half away from their current location there is an ice cave. It looks like someone might be in there right now.

"Ready for anything, huh?" Jay thoughtfully grabbed his chin for a moment. Then he tried to scoop up Marcus and Erin. One in each arm. He could bound away with them faster than they could move through ice and snow.

"C'mere."

"H-Hey!" Erin is a bit surprised.

"I can walk," she protests but just gives a slight sigh. Mentally she is still feeling pretty fatigued so she isn't really going to fight to walk under her own power. She knows they need to get a move on.

Roxie was right on the money with her assessment. Fortunately for everyone, Marcus was entirely too distracted by being lifted off his feet to worry about drawing on Vincent. He squawked and looked over at his green friend.

"This is very undignified..."

Roxie looked back and offered Marcus a friendly smile. It faded when she looked out into the distance and thought she saw something in a cave not too far away. She glided over to Bruce and silently tapped him on the shoulder, nudging her chin in the direction of the cave.

It takes considerable effort, but Vincent refrains from taking off ahead of the others. He follows closely behind Bruce, waiting for directions, and clutching the Casket tightly.

Bruce nodded firmly, and directed his path in that direction, swooping low so as to be heard by the others. "Okay, we've got a cave coming up, and we're pretty sure that's where we're going.

Roxie and I are going to take point. We can get there first, and see deal with the first level of anything guarding it. You guys get there as quick as you can, and we'll punch through."

So far Loki has not appeared to have detected them. Only something is waiting to stop Bruce and Roxie from getting deeper into the cave where Loki is. It is hard to tell though because the wind starts to howl as a storm picks up.

"Oh, shush. I'm warm and snuggly, and you know it," Jay corrected Marcus with a sniff. "Also, I can cover more land than both of you combined."

He proved it by doing a gentle (for him) hop toward the cave Roxstar and Brucie Boy went into. He landed about halfway before preparing for another Hulky Hop.

Roxie flew alongside Bruce, keeping her eyes on the cave ahead. She squints her eyes a little as wind whips up snow and ice all around them. Though mostly invulnerable, she's suddenly glad not to be wearing her older, skimpier, backless costume.

"Think the wind's a sign?" she asked.

"Jay!"

Erin scrambled to hold on to him just a little tighter.

"Is jumping really needed?" She really didn't like being taken around like that. She also doesn't like being carried around but there's nothing she can do about it.

Vincent's grip on the casket tightens, his face twisting in frustration. The cave is right there. His sister needs him.

But he can't do it alone.

He flies in close to Jay. "Grab my legs, then push off with another jump. I can use my flight spell to steer you through if you put enough force into it!"

"I've had quite enough of your flight spells for a lifetime, thank you. If there's to be more magic, Jay, kindly put me down first." He'd walk naked across Siberia before he'd trust Vincent's judgement again.

"Definitely," Bruce agreed. "Be ready for anything."

By now Vincent should notice something about the Cask. It hasn't been changed but apparently someone placed a kind of luck entropy hex. Loki didn't do it.

Vincent would have had time to get a sense of Loki's flavor of magic when he ad tried to track Audhild down. It looks like Amora is trying to help screw Loki and the Frost Giants over.

Now though there is a snarl from the peak just above the cave. A large dragon carved from ice and snow is about to attack. Apparently it is the security system Loki has in place.

"If you think I'm going to set down these two to grab your legs, you're nuts, Amorason." Jay did not make a move to set down the Avengers he was carrying.

"And yes, jumping is-" He was interrupted by a snarling dragon. "-being redirected. Poopsticks. There's a dragon, and I'm armed with a knight. Where do you want to go, Erin?"

Roxie paused mid-flight, looking up at the dragon. She stared at it for a long moment before her lips curved into a generous, cold smile.

"Hello ugly," she said, raising her mace above her head. "Good-bye, ugly." And then she went to attack it.

Dragon-busting was definitely more Roxie's style than his, though he'd fought one during the dragon invasion of New York. Granted, he'd ended up being temporarily infected with the Bubonic Plague before his partially alien/super-human immune system had burned it out...

"Can you hold it off?" he shouted. "The others will be here soon! I'm going to try and get past it!"

Sometimes, as Uncle Steve had taught him, you had to focus on the goal of the mission, and trust everyone else to do their parts.

"Jay?" Erin's face looks very serious.

"Throw me at the dragon. I have a plan."

Erin has a plan. It's like with the Frost Giants. She just has to get next to the dragon.

"Blast. A dragon and I have no steed. This is the worst rescue ever." Yes, that was a knightly pout.

And then he blinked at Erin. "Throw you? I'm almost certain that's not a good idea..."

Vincent bites back another retort, and takes off after Roxanne and Bruce.

...an ice dragon.

OF COURSE there's an ice dragon, the way this day has been.

Fireball, big one, now. Lobbed far and overhand, to get the beast's (or construct's, he's not sure yet) hindquarters while Roxanne and their leader engage in frontal assault.

Of COURSE there is. Audhild is a princess. A pretty, pretty, princess.

The dragon blasts a wave of magical and icey breath at Roxie and at Vincent with his fire ball.

Bruce will have a small gap to go running into the cave entrance.

Jay looked at Erin, looked at Marcus, and then looked at Bruce going alone toward the cave. His mind was not ready for these snap decisions. Though so far he was doing a good job of keeping Erin and Marcus not iced or fired.

"I need better options than throwing a cute girl at a dragon!"

"I hate to say it, but she might be right." Marcus really, really hated to say it. He and Erin needed to get to the dragon sooner rather than later. Jay needed to back Bruce up.

"Aim for fluffy looking snow, would you? Then go after The Captain."

Roxie dodged the ice-breath - not minty fresh, she was saddened to find out - and dove below the dragon, circling around it's leg until she found the back of its knee.

She started hitting it with her mace.

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