In the Halls of Ice and Snow (Solo)

(Thread Power Level: 2,700)

Glacia awoke from her space pod after yet another frigid night of sleep. Cramped and sore from the interior of the metallic orb, thought not cold at least, the insulation designed to keep out the absolute zero depths of space more than capable of handling the arctic temperatures that frequently plagued the surface of Planet Kold No.01. Still, it was hard getting up each day, in the twilight hours of the morning, especially since so little had changed since Glacia's arrival. Still her resolve was there though, she would not allow herself to slink back down into the depths of uselessness. She had traveled a monumental distance to return to her ancestral home planet, it was not a decision the Kold Demoness had made lightly, or one she intended to squander so quickly.

So with that Glacia slowly stretched out her arms, yawning heavily as her feet and hands pressed up against the side walls of her pod's interior. She sorely hoped there would not be many more nights spent sleeping in its cold confines, though she new that wish was dearly mistaken. Reaching out to grab at her tail Glacia gave the thick appendage a hearty squeeze, feeling its thickness against the press of her long sharp nails. It was somewhat worrying. A Kold Demon's tail in their suppressed form stored most of their body fat, it was a good indicator of their general health and well being. Glacia's was much to thin, and that needed be rectified. She needed to go hunting at some point today, and bring back actual food beyond a token smattering of lizards and such she'd been sustaining herself on. The reptilian Kold Demons did not have the highest of metabolisms, needing relatively little to sustain themselves on compared to similarly sized races.

All the same though they did need food, and regular sustenance before they began to grow weak. Glacia had desire to have any of her strength sapped away due to her own ability to take care of herself, and so she would make foraging a prerogative at some point this day. But she had a lot of ground to cover until then, there was much she needed to do before the sun set again in the distance. The days on Planet Kold No.01 were short, and the nights both brutal and long. Few creatures worth eating roamed the surface late into the evening, the horrible temperatures and frequent wind storms driving all but the hardiest of beasts back into their lairs or even deep underground. Glacia has no desire to eat the armored shell of a snow titan, or the mangy hide of a fenwolf over something fatter and more delectable for her pallet. The thought of food made her stomach growl slightly, and it was the motivation needed to actually rise from her seat.

Glacia stood up as best she could in her space pod, horns nearly brushing the ceiling despite the short build of her most suppressed form. Her hands reached out and grabbed for the handles on the side of the pod door, twisting the manual release and pushing open the hatch. Immediately Glacia felt the winds whipping in through the slit in the cracked ajar door, the howling of the world beyond causing her to grimace and sigh at the prospect of venturing beyond the relative comfort of her own resting place. But life waits for no one, not even a species long lived enough to survive for hundreds of years should they not perish to death in battle or a successful assassination attempt. So reluctantly Glacia pushed open the hatch fully, squinting under the light of the planet's great red sun. Glacia stepped out slowly, foot sinking into the soft layer of snow at the ground around her pod, feeling the cold substance melt slightly against the body heat of her feet. Three toed feet wiggling in the snow as Glacia's long purple tail slipped out behind her, sliding upwards to press down the hatch of her pod. She turned and make sure it was properly sealed shut. The last thing she needed was snow and ice getting inside and damaging the electronics, or worse, some animal making her temporary home into their new nest.

The Kold Demoness surveyed her surroundings, looking out at the grand entrance to the once opulent Royal Palace. The doors themselves were towering, sixty feet tall each and almost half as broad. They were composed of pure katchin, making them immeasurably durable and superbly dense. Each one thicker than Glacia was tall in her current suppressed state. Originally made to hold back an invading host, then later simply a measure of the Empire's grandeur and splendor as Planet Kold No.01 sat at the center of a vast galactic regime that spanned hundreds of worlds and threatened the whole of universe itself. Now one door lie rested against the remains of the archway, too heavy for Glacia to bother trying to lift without having to change forms. The other was pressed ajar, somehow still standing properly even as a large snow bank several dozen feet tall lie piled up on the outside face of the door. All this just one a million things on the mental checklist Glacia was building for the day she restore this once proud structure to an ounce of its former glory.

Beyond the gates the foyer itself was in no better shape. The room was a blasted waste, with great portions of the ceiling destroyed utterly or simply caved in without proper structural support. The statues lie smashed as mere rubble on the floor, artwork torn down from the walls now lying as little more than rotted frames on the floor. Whatever carpets once existed had been looted for supplies, or more likely eaten by one of a hundred vermin Glacia could imagine. All the windows had been blown out, likely by the impacts of warriors as they had clashed their way down the halls in a futile last ditch attempt to defend the palace. The discarded bones of dead beasts lie scattered across the floor, even in the wreckage of society the rule of the strongest survive still clung bitterly true. Glacia's space pod lie resting against the sturdiest remaining pillar. A great column of stone and marble, one of maybe a dozen left standing down the length of the hall. Dozens more lie in various states of damage, from great gashes down their lengths, to huge chunks being blasted free. A few others were blown clean in half, their top portions lying nearby or blown into smaller rubble and scattered to the winds.

Even the very walls of the entrance hall were in a sorry state of disrepair. Once glorious architecture now cracked in near on a million places, great holes blasted into whole sections, the scars of the great battle once raged here as her race's empire slowly died from within. The subjugated masses rising up to overthrow their betters and drag them low. Glacia's toes curled, dragging along snow as she stamped her foot in rage. A bit of rubble broke loose from the ceiling and landing not far from her. The Kold Demoness swore aloud, thinking how any more temper flare ups could only cause further damage to the remnants of the royal palace. Too much outright provocation and she'd bring what was left of the building toppling down. Not that Glacia thought much could be salvaged, it might prove easier when the time came simply to rebuild the entire structure rather than try to salvage what remained standing. More problems for the future though, but problems none the less.

It was all a terribly demoralizing sight, one that filled Glacia's heart with shame, anger, and sorrow. She would rebuild this monolithic structure one day, of that she swore. But for the time being, the basics of food and shelter were the most immediate concerns on her mind. That could come later in the day though, for now it was the dim twilight of morning. It was still too dark out for safe travel, and despite the fact Glacia could easily fly, she knew well enough none of the creatures she desired to eat were actually out and about. They'd be hiding in their burrows and lairs, waiting for the sun to rise higher and brighten the day. Only the warmth of the planet's sun and now the might of the Tree of Life brought the will to live to the creatures of Planet Kold No.01. For now, Glacia would work on getting her morning training out of the way. It was a vital part of any day, especially since she had spent much of the last year traveling through space itself in an all but hibernative sleep. She was still shaking off the dust from her body, metaphorically speaking, and it would be a long time before she was back up to full strength. 

And so Glacia began walking slowly out towards the courtyard beyond the main gates. Step after step from her pod out of the remnants of the once proud entrance hall. All the while the wind whipped in through the bashed open door, sending fragments of ice and a flurry of snow directly into Glacia's face. It didn't so much as phase her, though she new well many species could simply not survive on the harshness of her home planet. It brought her some small measure of pride, knowing the Kold Demons were strong where others were weak. She would need to grow stronger too, especially if she had any hope of ever rebuilding her home world up to its former glory. There was much to do, and much more she could not currently do, or even attempt for that matter. As the Kold Demon mused she stepped under the archway, envisioning what it must be like for a Kold Demon in their youth to have walked through these mighty doors in their prime. To watch them slowly swing upon as the guards stood vigilant in their gleaming armor, tails rigid as they stuck immaculate stances. Banisters flying proudly and flags trailing from the rafters that bore the heraldry of the great houses of Kold. It would have been a magnificent time to be alive, not like now. Now her species was little more than scattered bands of survivors leaderless and without hope. All of it was infuriating in its own special way, and Glacia clutched her hands tight thinking how she had been robbed off the privileged life she had been destined to life.

The line of Kold ran deep in her blood, she was the spawn of King Cold's firstborn child, the rightful ruler of the Kold Empire or at least what remained of it. But Glacia could not even hope to claim that title, it was so far beyond her grasp and it filled her heart with cold malicious rage. She wished desperately she was strong enough to someday bring vengeance upon all that had brought her people low. To ravage their worlds like the cosmic scourge her people once were. To destroy their planets utterly if they failed to fall into submission. Even the secrets to their ancient martial arts techniques had been lost to the Kold Demons, Glacia had not the faintest idea of how to perform destructive feats like the legendary Death Ball or the unstoppable Supernova. Her own usage of Ki was admittedly minor, limited to a few natural techniques and the ability to fire laser beams of pure Ki from her eyes. But she would learn, she was smart, perceptive, adaptive, and above all else determined. Nothing would stop the Kold Demoness once she had put her mind fully to a task. And this was one task that Glacia had decided to commit her life to years ago. Nothing would stand in her way, no matter how stacked against her the odds seemed to be. That would just make victory all the sweeter when she finally overcame them once and for all.

So with that mentality firmly in her mind, Glacia stepped into the center of what remained of the once opulent courtyard that stood just outside the palace main gates. The courtyard itself was chiefly composed of silver grey colored stone with a myriad of decorative patterns carved into its surface. However it was covered in a heavy layer of snow and ice without proper maintenance, and even beyond that numerous cracks and fissures ran throughout the surface. Wounds from battle fought too long ago for recent memory to care, a battle Glacia was glad she did not take part in, nothing would fill her heart with more sorrow than to have been there and failed, to watch as her world burned to ash. Large craters ranging in size also dotted the area, the sight of dodged or missed Ki blasts, some though clearly the impacts of warriors smashed into the ground. Glacia wondered how many were of her own race as she stepped slowly into position. Planting her feet as she begin to train her body and mind.

Striking her stance the Kold Demoness' tail thrashed behind her, slamming against the ground as gathered up her Ki. The earth began to tremble slightly, birds roosting in the rafters overhead taking flight rather than remain around to witness what was transpiring. A deep violet aura of Ki began to emanate from Glacia's body. She exhaled deeply through her nostrils, tongue licking her lips as she felt her power flow. The Kold Demoness clenched and unclenched her fingers, looking at her hands as she felt her energy coursing through her very being. Rolling her head and cracking the bones along her neck, Glacia felt more at home than she had been in days. Striking a combat stance, a flurry of punches rang out. Hooks and jabs piercing through the air with cruel precision interwoven with elbow bashes and low sweeps from her tail. The Kold Demon's tail was as much a weapon as any other part of their body. It could jab with its tip like a spear in some of their lower forms, slam with the force of a well placed tackle, or simply coil and constrict an opponent like a massive and powerful snake. It was a far more useful appendage than many races' tails, being fully opposable and even extendable, able to lengthen itself greatly for even more impressive reach. Best of all, it lacked any of the pain inducing weakness of the monkey tails of the damnable Saiyans, the age old enemy of the Kold Demons since the time of Son Goku.

The Kold Demoness struck out with a palm thrust, feeling the rush of air move past her arm at the speed of her attack. Then another, moving forward as she stepped forward on graceful footwork. Turning sideways Glacia thrusted forward with both palms extended, slamming over her right shoulder with her tail. Turning to her side in a flash the warrior transitioned effortlessly into a savage kick, using the momentum to follow through with another sweep of her long tail. Following through on that the Kold Demoness swung out one foot into a sweeping kick, snow fanning out in a wave as she displayed it with her leg as it swept across the ground in an arcing fashion. From there Glacia thrust upwards into an uppercut following by a savage knee to her invisible opponent's chest. It was quite the display, a shame no one could see it but the birds, though Glacia continued her work out, only speeding up her attacks as she continued to find her single minded assault on the imperfections of her technique. Punching grew faster, displaying air faster and faster as they boomed through the air, kicks moved like lightning too hard to track with the naked eye. Only through honing one's Ki could they even begin to follow such movements as Glacia got steadily back into her rhythm. It felt good to be training, it filled her with a keen sense of pride as she practiced what little she new of martial arts.

Minutes quickly turned into hours as the sun rose steadily higher into the morning skies. The heavens above transitioning from the inky blackness of twilight to the rainbow hued skies of the early dawn hours. Aurora lights twinkling high in the skies in bands of brilliant colors of a million rainbow hues. The life around Planet Kold No.01 slowly emerging from its slumber to populate the surface world in their single minded hunt for sustenance on the harsh arctic world. Glacia could feel the tiny Ki signatures of the creatures in her immediate vicinity, burrowing through the earth below or hiding in fear for their lives in the deep snows. And here she was, top of the food chain, honing her skills in combat and attempting to mastery her Ki. It made the Kold Demoness feel haughty and superior, fueling her to greater and greater heights as she moved faster and faster. Mere movements becoming a haze blue and purple blue as Glacia entered a state of clear focus unleashing rapid fire volleys of lightning fast punches mixed in with a typhoon barrage of powerful kicks.

It was a strange feeling fighting in her most suppressed form. In this state Glacia was far shorter than any of her other known forms, and with that came a number of strange differences that had to be employed in combat. The most notable being that her limbs were far shorter, causing the need for her to both adjust for the lack of reach, but also simply having to accept that she had a severe height disadvantage over almost any opponent she could possibly come into contact with. It made for a more bull rushing combat approach, with flurries of close range attacks before the Kold Demoness would dart out to put up a quick defense. The only real advantage this form conferred was that being so small it was markedly harder to hit with a well aimed Ki attack. Though this advantage was minimal compared to the number of negatives that came with her body being confined to such a small package. At least it held the benefit of suppressing the vast majority of Glacia's true power, making it by far the most comfortable state to maintain for any notable duration of time.

As Glacia continued practicing combat for a protracted period of time she began to tire slightly. Deciding it best to take a brief reprieve, the Kold Demoness lowered herself to sit on the ground. Feet pressed close together, toes interlocking as her tail coiled around her and rested gently in her lap. Glacia closed her eyes her Ki aura growing more steady, more controlled as she focused her mental efforts. Working on the clarity of her senses, focusing her mind in its present state to mold into a more zen like level of calm. The Kold Demoness closed her eyes, becoming utterly still as she sat on the cold floor of the plaza. Her body levitating slightly into the air as she felt her mind reaching out to the animals nearby. Calling out to them in a language not of words, but of simple feelings and emotions. "Friend" she called out to the birds above, again and again. Beckoning them to come closer to rest on the ground before Glacia. And so they came, slowly at first, cautiously. Thousands of years of evolution had taught the creatures native to this world to fear the Kold Demons above all else, and with good reason. Since their race's conception Glacia's species had ruled their planet with an iron fist. Dominating its ecosystem and instantly claiming the highest tier on the food chain.

So one by one the birds came to line up before Glacia, ignorant to the peril that faced them and blind to the fact Glacia's eyes were wide and filled with hunger and malice. They pecked at the ground, looking up at the Kold Demon in confusion as she continued to probe their weak willed minds, telling them how safe she was and how she'd protect them. Then Glacia slowly raised up her tail until it came to rest poised in the air. Her tongue slipped past plump lips, running over their length at the thought of her succulent morning meal. Then in an instant her tail came down in a terrible slam, smashing into the birds and slapping against the ground with a weighty thud. The creatures before her were killed outright, dead before they had a chance to even react to what was going on. Glacia held her sides as she let out a deep belly laugh, grinning ear to ear in satisfaction. "Weak willed and simple minded creatures with no right to live but to serve as sustenance to the strong. Be glad your pathetic lives were snubbed out quickly. Consider it a mercy."

The Kold Demoness stretched her arms, lifting up her tail as she did and inspecting the mangled bodies of the birds. She could eat them raw, but Glacia desired something warm in her belly for this morning. Grabbing the first of the slain creatures by the feet she held it before her, carefully stripping away the feathers and flesh with one razor sharp finger. It was a tedious affair, but less tedious than picking feathers out of her teeth. Once that ordeal was done, Glacia summoned a measure of her Ki, channeling it into the pupils of her eyes and firing her Darkness Eye Beam at the carcass. It caught fire almost immediately, to which the Kold Demoness swore profusely in response. Looking at what remained of the overcooked arctic foul Glacia couldn't help but grimace slightly. However, a cursory feeling through the power levels of the immediate vicinity revealed there was precious little else to eat, so she'd have to make do with this for now. So reluctantly Glacia bit into the bird's charred corpse, tearing off a chunk of seared meat and chewing it slowly.

The taste actually wasn't as bad a she suspected, though it definitely had a singed after taste to it. Glacia swallowed, feeling the food burn as it traveled down the length of her throat. Her eyes watered slightly, it went down a lot harder than she had anticipated. Vowing not to over cook the remaining birds the Kold Demoness continued her meal, taking smaller and more measured bites. Trying not so much to taste the food as appreciate that she had it at all. A few more good mouthfuls was all she was going to get out of the majority of the body. Glacia picked away, casting aside some of the less desirable organs like the stomach and gizzard. Maybe they'd end up baiting something else to her new home, either way she didn't much care about cleanliness given her current living accommodations. Hell, the planet wasn't even warm enough for discarded meat to actually rot. It'd just freeze and end up preserved underneath a layer of snow and ice come the next snow storm, which usually meant waiting anywhere from hours to maybe a few days.

Once finished with the first of the six birds, Glacia gave its body a solid toss into the air. It soared no less than a hundred feet from even the simple flick of the rest, hovering for a moment at the height of its arc. Two deep purple beams fired again from each of Glacia's eyes, piercing the bird's remnants and detonating them in an explosion loud enough to shake loose some of the snow from the palace's rafters. Glacia chuckled to herself at the destruction of her distasteful meal's remains, before looking down on what remained of her modest feast. "I wonder if the Kold Emperor's themselves ever had to eat such a paltry meal as this. I deserve better..." Glacia complained out loud, lifting up the second bird to cautiously inspect. This one was marginally larger than the first, which meant more fat and muscle, both of which were vastly preferable to stringy entrails. Glacia carefully aimed her gaze on it's chest, reducing the amount of Ki in her eyes to a fraction of what it had been before. A fraction of a fraction of her total power level, the beams thin and weak, gently roasting the bird as Glacia help it in place with a hand.

A far more preferable way to cook, the Kold Demon rotated the meal slowly, gently roasting it with her darkness eye beams as she smiled contently. This method was going to prove vastly more agreeable, and the delicious scents emanating from the bird's carcass soon informed her that it was having much more desirable results than her first failed attempt at preparing herself a meal. After several minutes of slow roasting the bird Glacia deemed the now sizzling meat to be more properly cooked to within acceptable ranges. Her mouth already watering at the prospect of actual food, Glacia raised the second bird's cooked body to her full lips. Mouth opening she reached out and took a hearty bite from the bird, practically moaning at the taste. It was vastly superior to the first in every single way. The skin lightly grilled, the meat inside hot and tender, soft to chew through with her fine pointed teeth. Glacia was in heaven, closing her eyes and leaning back slightly as she sat cross legged on the plaza grounds, content simply to enjoy her meal with renewed appreciation.

While certainly not a feast by any significant stretch of the imagination, it was proving to easily be among the most delicious things that Glacia had ever tasted in her considerable life. Though she knew well that was particularly do to her current circumstances. Either way she was relieved to be eating a proper meal. Bite after bite, the Kold Demoness ate with ravenous hunger, working her long tongue into the body between bones to reach for the last tiny succulent bites of meat. Even the heart and lungs were grilled to perfection, and Glacia gladly ate those two before finally discarding the carcass of the bird, flinging it off into the beyond somewhere behind her. She didn't much care, and as with the first it didn't much matter. She'd never be smelling rotted meat, if the scavengers didn't get to it by the time she'd left the plaza, the corpse would have been long frozen by the time any meaningful duration of time had passed. In a stupid way, the entire planet was something of a refrigerator, albeit one teaming with life.

Once finished with the second of her birds, Glacia moved on to the third, cooking it in the same fashion as the second had been minutes before. She began working on finely honing her craft, adjusting levels of Ki energy applied to her darkness eye beams as necessary. Working deftly to further improve on her ability to cook food using nothing but the limited array of techniques at her disposal. Once prepared properly Glacia again feasted eagerly on the corpse of the slain and cooked fowl. Chewing eagerly, almost greedily as she at the bird as fast as she could. The remaining ones were starting to freeze, and she didn't want them running out of body heat any time soon. Glacia didn't know if cooking a frozen bird would prove more difficult than a luke warm one, but it stood to reason that it probably would. It couldn't dampen her spirits now though, Glacia had a real meal and a new hobby to work on mastering. All things considered that was a fairly good start to a day, especially given her only worldly possessions were a space pod and what few personal effects were stored inside. And this palace, which while technically not hers in a traditional sense of the word, was hers by birthright. And with no one else bothering to live here, that seemingly made it hers.

Glacia paused to think on that matter as she finished the last few bites of her final fowl. Was there actually anyone living in the remnants of the Royal Palace? She hadn't actually considered it, given there was simply no one else nearby to confirm or deny. There dozens of individual entrances to the massive palace complex by way of foot alone. And it was also entirely possible to just fly in through any number of holes in the ceiling or even the walls in some places. Not that the architecture could have stopped a determined Kold Demon in any event. She decided after only a few quick moments of inquiry that it would be better to actually secure the palace grounds, to confirm that no one else actually dwelled inside. Glacia wondered how many animals were hiding in the rubble, hopefully not too many. She didn't want to have to splatter their remains all over the walls over her new domain. Without much of a second thought the Kold Demoness picked herself up and began walking back to her space pod.

Not wanting the space craft pilfered by some damned looter, Glacia hoisted up the pod, carrying over near a pile of rubble and storing it behind. It wasn't a particularly good hiding place for the object, but it was better than nothing. It was at least hard to notice the space pod from certain angles, which was more than she could have hoped for leaving it exposed next to that pillar near the entrance. With that Glacia let out a sorrowful sigh, realizing that again, this was what her life had come to. She should be empress, or at the very least princess serving under her father. The wealth of the Empire should be at her disposal, not the ruins of the palace to which should rightfully be her home. Glacia began to pace down the halls slowly, feet clicking against the tiled floor with each step. All the while she continued to brood on the indignity of the fate that life had granted her.

The Kold Demoness looked around at the sights before her, the hallway was much like the main entrance hall unfortunately. The walls were cracked an in clear disrepair, with the windows almost entirely knocked out. This allowed for no small amount of snow to drift in through the opening, causing it to pile in various places only further accelerating the decline of the structure. It would take eons to fix every window, especially since Glacia hadn't a clue as to the floor plan of the structure in whole. She only knew brief memories of visiting when she was but a tiny whelp in her father's arms. She couldn't have even been a decade old yet, and already growing her horns. How proud he had been, she dearly missed him. Glacia wondered if her father was even still among the living, it had been well over a century since she had seen the man in the flesh. Her most recent communication with the Kold Demon that had sired her himself was a single lonely holotape Glacia had found on the Planet Frieza 38, which had done little more than tell her that he loved her dearly. Glacia had long assumed the worst of her father, though he was a strong warrior, one who had taught her everything she knew. If he was alive and out there still, Glacia would make it her mission to find him someday.

She paused to look around at the ruined structure around her, noting that sadly that particular mission would need to wait until this one was finished first. The Kold Demoness need first restore the Royal Palace to it's former glory, then she could go gallivanting around looking for her parent across the stars. Or maybe she'd have the means by then to contact him. Hell, maybe if she was lucky and her father was alive he'd return to Planet Kold No.01 once word became known the Royal Palace had been rebuilt in Glacia's name. That prospect brought up an entire new concern that Glacia hadn't yet considered. What if the Planet Trade Organization caught wind of her efforts to rebuild the Royal Palace and restore the Kold Empire to its former glory once again? They could attack the planet again, with the full strength of their armies at their beck and call. Or worse, destroy the Tree of Life and doom the world to the extinction it had only narrowly avoided in the first war for her planet. They might send someone to kill Glacia, or even simply tree to have her assassinated. The thought chilled her to the bone worse than any cold possibly could.

The Kold Demoness thought on the matter as she continued to walk the once grand central hallways of the now remnants of the Royal Palace. She decided that there was very little if anything she could do to stop the Planet Trade Organization from meddling with her plans should they decided to interfere with her upon catching word. The only thing she could do was try to fight, or try to hide. Glacia knew the former was an impossibility, the warriors of the Planet Trade Organization, especially the cursed Brenchians, had their entire lives to train. The finest facilities and the best equipment. Glacia had nothing but a plaza floor and more snow than she knew what to do with. It was no facility for a powerful warrior to use to gather her strength and bolster her ability. She was keenly aware even in her most transformed state, her base form, where her power was wholly unsuppressed it would be little before the leaders of the armies of the Planet Trade Organization. If they attacked, her only option would be to flee the planet, escape into space and hide among the stars themselves if need be. Glacia would far outlive her rivals, it did not matter as much to her if her plans occurred now, a year from now, a decade from this day, or even if need be, an entire century from now. It pained her greatly at the thought of taking that long to bring her goals to fruition, assuming of course she could even survive that long at all.

Such negative thoughts only filled her cold heart with more anger and sorrow, and Glacia pushed them down inside herself as she attempted to ignore them. Being negative would only weigh her down now, what she needed was focus and diligence, that was the only way she could hope to get anything done with the reclamation of this once grandiose palace. The hall was marginally less deteriorated in this particular section, it seemed the majority of the damage lie on the sections furthest towards the outer sides of the palace. The walls a bit less cracked, the ceiling with fewer holes in it. This far into the palace complex there were at least no windows to the outside to worry about, and Glacia mused that snow could only get in through the holes in the ceiling. She may need to find ways to plug them, even if it was just with ice. It would at least temporarily stop more snow from entering the palace and doing more damage on the rare days where it was allowed to thaw at all. Water refreezing into ice had already caused tremendous damage to the palace structure, and in truth Glacia mused that she was lucky at all that the primary structure was still standing. It could easily have collapsed completely under the weight of its total neglect, and in that scenario she'd truly have nothing to work to rebuild. It was paramount that the Kold Demoness do everything in her power to limit any further damage to the complex, and secure it not be further ravaged by the elements or animals.

Still thinking with regards to shoring up the palace exterior Glacia heard a noise form one of the adjacent rooms. The rustling should of movement, multiple bodies rummaging through the place. She couldn't tell if it was sapients, other Kold Demons or some scavenging alien race intent to pick through the palace wreckage to see if anything valuable yet remained. She cursed silently the fact she couldn't suppress her own Power Level, and hovered slowly so the noise of her feet clicking on the hard floor was silent to the intruders. Slowly Glacia moved to the door, craning her head around to peer inside. Within was a burrow of fenwolves, fearsome arctic predators that lived on the Planet Kold No.01. A native species, and one its top predatory species to put. They were large canines with massive fanged teeth, large mouths with strong bites, and enough strength take a large chunk of flesh out of even a Kold Demon. Approximately ten feet long each, with long blue and white coats of thick insulating fur they were quite the sight. Eyes black and calculating, with long bushy tails and paws as large as Glacia's head.

The pack numbered over a dozen members in total, likely one to two breeding males and the rest of them females. If they had pups, they'd be hidden somewhere further away from potential entrances into their lair. A place where they could be properly guarded by their mothers and nursed without fear of another pack's males getting a hold of them. Fenwolf males would kill a rival's litter of pups without so much as a second though, breaking their necks with the snap of their jaws and the twist of their head, devouring the pups to make an example of their rivals and prevent their line from living to adulthood. Several sentries stood guard over the den, and immediately smelled Glacia despite her best efforts. They sniffed at the air and began to growl a low growl both to alert their pack members and to deter her from attack. Glacia lowered herself to her feet in the doorway, toes clicking on the tiled floor beneath her as she eyed down the pair of sentries. Another half dozen of the beasts had entered the room, with more funneling in along the way. Each of them now snarling their teeth, flashing their bone white fangs and their black colored gums as they snapped their jaws at the intruder in their den.

"Miserable beasts." Glacia said angrily, gathering up her Ki around her in a brilliant aura of deep purple. "Who gave you permission to dwell in my Palace? Who allowed you to exist in my home!" Her teeth gnashed together as the Kold Demoness grew furious with the animals. The first of the fenwolves, the closest one to Glacia, leapt forward, having apparently disliked what she was saying. Or most likely assuming the Kold Demoness was going to make for ideal prey, or some predator keen to attack their den. As it was mid air in its leap, no more than several feet from Glacia, familiar laser beams of pure energy shot forth from her eyes. They blasted the creature dead in the chest, detonating on impact and sending bits of fur and viscera splattering about the room. Glacia laughed manically at the creature's instant death. The remaining fenwolves only roared in anger, leaping at the Kold Demoness in a fool hardy attempt to avenge their slain companion.

"Oh my, is that how we're going to play then? Fine, all of you are dead to me anyways!" She yelled, leaping forward to grab the second attacking fenwolf by the jaw. It tried hard to clamp down, but Glacia's strength was a thousand fold greater. She merely tore its jaws from its head, killing the beast instantly. The third she speared through its chest with her tail when it dove to attack her from the side, twisting her tail to swing the beast's dying body directly into a second and third. The three animals went topping end over end into a corner of the room. When the two uninjured ones tried to stand Glacia blasted them both at the same time with another well aimed Darkness Eye Beam. Once more the bodies of the creatures exploded from the sheer power of the beams of energy in comparison to their own pathetic bodies. Glacia almost felt a pang of sorrow for them, until one of the fenwolves latched onto her leg. She yelped in pain, the creature having tried to sink its teeth deep into her bio-armor to no avail. The Kold Demoness delivered a swift kick to the animal's rib cage with her other leg, feeling its ribs shatter beneath the force of her kick.

The beast yelped in pain as it soared across the room, impacting the wall with a sickening crack and dying before it hit the ground. The final few fenwolves huddled together, guarding a door into an adjoining room. Though they continued to snarl and snap, their tails were now firmly held between their legs. Glacia took another step close, and the creatures took a step back. She laughed and sneered at the beasts, and they yelped in surprise. Then she dashed forward at lightning quick speed, far faster than the fenwolves' senses could register or their bodies could ever hope to reach. Her arms reached out and she grabbed two of the wolves by the throats, long nails sinking into their necks to draw blood as she squeezed tight around their windpipes. A third fenwolf was toiled around the neck by her tail and hoisted into the air unable to move. Glacia chuckled to herself as all three animals slowly died in her grip, two bleeding to death as she choked the life from their bodies. The third fast succumbing to suffocation as well clutched firmly in her tail. Their struggling grew weaker, their growls turning to yelps, then weakly turning to pants as the beasts' life slipped away and their eyes finally rolled over. Glacia tossed them aside in a heap like three sacks of discarded bricks.

"Useless creatures, just as pathetic as the damn birds. Not even good sport to hunt." Glacia said through gritted teeth, looking at the tooth marks nicking her left shin. It enraged her to no end one of the beasts had been callous enough to even try to harm her glorious body. The Kold Demoness stepped slowly into the next room to see what they fenwolves could possibly have been hiding. What she found was what had once been a bed chamber of sorts, though the bed had been dug into by the fenwolves and the stuffing torn out. Used as a bedding, with scavenged blankets and pillows strewn about was the nursery for their pups. About a dozen of them sat huddled together, some older and already covered in their blue fur, others small and white, barely old enough to open their eyes yet. They mewed and yelped, distressed at the commotion they'd hurt and the sounds of pain from their parents dying in the next room over. Glacia took a step closer, then another as she slowly sauntered across the room. In no mood for such creatures now more than ever, she glared down at the pups with fury in her eyes, building her Ki for a moment before blasting the nest with a third and final Darkness Eye Beam. The pups had but a moment to scream out in pain before being utterly incinerated. Only the burning husk of the bed and a charred layer of ash and bone remaining to greet the next being to enter the room. "There, I was merciful, be glad I spared you a slow death and granted you the mercy of a summary execution." Glacia said coldly before turning to disembark the room back into the main hall. If she had to comb every hall and every wing of the building and snuff out the lives of every intruder, she would. Though it did not please her to do so.

Back in the central hall Glacia continued her trek through the inner palace grounds, moving towards what she knew would be the main lobby not far beyond. It was just past the bed chambers for the staff, which she currently was passing through. It shamed her to no end she had to kill animals it what would be her own home. In fact...if left there the corpses would just attract more scavengers to feast upon them. The thought angered Glacia, who was already in a foul mood. She turned on the balls of her feet and proceeded to walk right back into the fenwolves' lair. Marching up to the corpses, still warm and some bleeding heavily she picked the first ones up, one in each hand. Walking back out into the hall Glacia found the first suitably large hole in the ceiling, twisting her body and then throwing the beasts' corpses out the hole and into the air with as much force as she could. While they hung at the zenith of their arc, hundreds of feet in the sky she fired off Darkness Beams at them to obliterate the bodies utterly as they exploded into fragmented debris. Bits of ash and and tufts of fur rained down on the roof of the palace as Glacia looked up through the hole at the smoke poof and gave out a huff. "Good riddance... mangy beasts." It filled Glacia with contempt that she had to be doing this at all as she angrily marched back into the room.

Retrieving another set of bodies the Kold Demoness marched right back into the hall and launched the next two into the air, they met a similar fate to the first set, blasted into a million charred pieces by well aimed eye beams. Glacia returned with a third set and repeated the process, much to her own chagrin as she wiped the blood from her hands on the animal’s fur. One final beast remained, the one she’d choked with her tail. She at least decided to get something useful out of this exchange, maybe she could skin it and make a blanket from its fur later. Or at the very least perhaps it would make for a more hearty meal when consumed after being properly cooked. She coiled her long tail around the slain creature’s body and lifted it effortlessly into the air, her tail end in an S shape as Glacia began to walk away from the site of her all too brief battle for what would be the second time now. She stretched her arms and once more resumed her long journey down the winding hallways of the remnants of the Royal Palace. Eyes alert now and ears tuned to every little sound that Glacia could possibly hear, intent on picking up the sound of any creature’s too weak and pathetic to register on her Ki senses.

Glacia remained fascinated by the layout of the palace, it held a cruel almost ominous appearance about it despite being in such a state of disrepair. The rooms all eerily still when absent of guests, hallways meant to properly accommodate hundreds of guests at once barren save for her and a drift of snow. The entire place like a ghost town, empty and void of all life save for the one being who sought to restore it. Moving into the first major change of scenery in a long time Glacia let out a sigh of relief. Before her lied the main lobby of the palace, a huge open room larger than most space craft hangars in size. It was clear it had once been rather opulently furnished, with exquisite carpets, busts and statues, artwork and chandeliers, and a number of trophies in cases along the wall. All of the former lied smashed and broken and the later looted and stolen by someone after the planet’s defeat. Glacia let out a soft sigh, moving towards a mostly intact table, though it only possessed three remaining legs. The third looked like it’d been chewed off by some animal, with only a gnarled stub remaining. She tossed the carcass of the fenwolf down on the table and looked for a chair to help prop up and balance the wobbly furniture. After some searching the Kold Demoness found one that looked suitable the task, jamming it up under the table to stabilize the remaining leg. Content in her work Glacia began the delicate task of skinning the beast.

Starting from it’s jaws she slipped one of her razor sharp nails into the creature’s skin, slicing along the edges of its jaws to peal back the animal's skin like a maccabe flesh mask of sorts. Next she began pulling back the skin and fur as best she could, trying to remove it in one solid piece. Glacia sawed away at the tough spots where ligaments and muscle held fast to the skin with the nail of her fingers. Working with the precision of a crude surgeon to skin and gut the beast. It was an obnoxiously arduous task, requiring a delicate touch as Glacia couldn’t use too much force for fear of tearing the precious skin of the beast. As she worked she was too absorbed in her task to hear the soft pitter patter of feet far behind her. Something else lurked in the lobby of the palace, two piercing blue eyes staring out at the back of her head from the darkness of an ill lit corner. Bathed in shadow the intruder watched as the Kold Demoness continued about her work. Glacia remained unaware of the new danger, the creature too weak to register on her senses or merely suppressing its Ki down to a level she couldn’t detect.

After minutes of tedium, Glacia finally managed to make significant progress with the skinning of the fenwolf, pealing back the majority of its flesh and cutting away the bits near the paws that proved too much work for her to bother with. Only the long bushy tail remained, and she wondered if it’d be possibly to sew it together into a kind of stocking cap for the end of her tail for those cold bitter nights. She sorely hoped she could, just because her species could survive infinite levels of cold did not mean that Glacia herself particularly enjoyed it all that much. She’d rather be somewhere toasty warm, like a rebuild throne room of her palace, or atop of a pile of dead Brenchians who thought to oppose her. Either was preferable to her current situation, and meant she was in a much better position with the completion of her plans. It warmed her heart slightly, especially as she pulled free the last of the fenwolf’s hide from it’s tail, leaving only a long pinky tube of muscle and bone left in its wake. She rubbed a hand across the bio-armored brow of her forehead, letting out a sigh that at least that goal was done.

With that seemingly daunting task behind her, Glacia moved to disembowel the fenwolf and get rid its less desirable organs. She didn’t have a good way to get rid of them, so she figured she’d just fly out one of the holes in the ceiling and toss them somewhere for the birds to feast on. Grabbed the corpse by the head and head legs to carry its skinned and lifeless body into the air with her, Glacia felt something brush against the back of her leg. She swore aloud and jumped with fright, not expecting anything else to be in the room with her. Looking down at her leg, the Kold Demoness saw something she hadn’t expected to see. A tiny fluffy white animal, no bigger than the bio-gem on Glacia's own head in size. It had big round blue eyes and four small legs with tiny little paws. Complete with two seemingly over sized ears and a long bushy tail the length of its entire body put together. It was an Arcticat, and a domesticated one at that it would seem. Glacia let out a long sigh, looking down at the delicate fluffy creature as it rubbed its head against the back of her leg. She tried to scowl at it, but the arcticat began to purr audibly, and it damn near melted the Kold Demoness’ heart. Glacia could only let out a long sigh and reach down to pet the tiny creature behind its soft furry ears.

“What are you doing here little one?” Glacia asked sweetly to the little animal as it purred contently at being pet on the head. “Of course you can’t understand me, what am I even doing? Just give me a moment, hold still little thing.” Closing her eyes and calming her mind the Kold Demoness tapped into her Ki, mentally breaching the barrier between species and communicating with the articat on an emotionally primal level. She didn’t need language to converse with it, simply feeling her way through its thoughts and asking it questions directly to its consciousness with her own. Upon inquiry it seemed a number of the domestic pet species had survived the attack, by no small amount of luck on their own part. They’d been living in the royal palace’s ruin ever since, hiding from larger predators and scavenging for scraps wherever they could. Glacia informed her tiny new friend that she’d ridden the previous hall of a den of fenwolves, and the kitten mewed in appreciation. It pawed at her leg, and on request Glacia lifted up the creature into her arms, only for it to snuggle into her grip and make itself comfortable.

Glacia stood there, wondering what in the name of Kold she was going to do with the little articat, forgetting she was still tapped inside its mind. It replied that she keep her, identifying itself as female and demanding more pets. Glacia gave it a somewhat puzzled look, the first smile in a long while crossing her beauteous face. She let out a short sigh, running a hand along the animal’s back as it purred, her long tail coiling out around the dead fenwolf corpses. “I suppose you’re hungry aren’t you little one? She asked the kitten, to which it happily piped in Yes over and over and over again. Glacia informed the creature she had plenty of food, motioning to the corpse help aloft in her tail. In response her kitten demanded food over and over again, bumping its head against Glacia's chest plate as it urged her to feed it. She couldn't help but chuckle at the fact such a manipulative little creature was bossing her around. Her, the heiress to King Kold himself, being made the lackey of a common household arcticat. It would be humiliating if the animal weren't so damned cute. Glacia took a glance around the room, deciding that her trip would be cut short here. She'd need to return to her space pod soon, she could already see the sun starting to get low in the sky through a hole in the ceiling.

As stupid as it sounded she was fast growing attached to the little bundle of fur resting in her arms. It was obnoxiously cute, entirely too bossy and demanding for its own good, and far too innocent to leave here to freeze. So Glacia picking up the skinned fur and draped it over her shoulders as she set about returning to her space pod home. It would be a bit of a journey, but at least she had a new friend for it. With her kitten still protesting for food, mewing and head butting her armor Glacia lifted the slain fenwolf around to her front, holding it up with her tail as if it was on a butcher's rack. Her hand reached out for one of the beast's muscular thighs, slicing off a small strip of flesh. She held the slice of meat up, just a bit too high for the arcticat to reach. It pawed at her chest and eventually hopped up from the perch of her arm to grab at the meat. As it chewed up the slice hungrily, purring the entire time, Glacia looked down at it and smiled sweetly. "Good girl." She said softly, hand petting along her new companion's back. She couldn't decide what to name the little animal, it certainly deserved of one. After a few minutes of careful consideration and a few more slices of meat Glacia decided on Princess.

The namely seemed entirely too fitting, the little white arcticat embodied the word in every sense of the word in every manner and way. Princess was bossy, manipulative, and entirely too demanding for one little acticat. She also was very regal, obsessively licking her paws and grooming herself between bites of meat. Lastly she was found living in the royal palace, which had to be a sign if ever there was one. Glacia couldn't think of anything better, so the name quickly stuck. Probing her new pet's mind and informing her of the name Princess mentally replied "Princess Princess Princess!" while happily mewing. Glacia deemed the name a success, and the two were reaching the end of the hall. Soon they'd be back at the entrance foyer, near the main gates where her space pod lie hidden behind that pile of rubble. The Kold Demoness felt far more tired than she should be, likely because maintaining a telepathic link for an extended period was rather draining, regardless of how intelligent the creature was. She was ready to get some sleep, she had all the time in the world to explore the remnants of the royal place at a later occasions. Glacia decided she would spend however long it needed to fully map the complex and rid it of any danger.

Princess was looking rather stuffed by the time the duo made their way back to the space pod, the princess not a plump little princess with a belly full of meat. Glacia tossed the fenwolf carcass aside to rest against a slab of debris, the sheer cold of the planet would act to refrigerate it overnight. Hell, if some other animal didn't steal it while they slept. Next the Kold Demoness set down her new pet carefully, instructing her to go to the bathroom. Princess happily skipped off, finding a nice pile of rubble and going about her business. She attempted to bury her leavings but found nothing suitable. Glacia let out another sight and walked over, slamming the rubble with her tail as it toppled over to bury the kitten's leavings. "We're going to sleep now, I'll show you your new bed." Glacia informed the kitten, to which she received the phrase "Sleep sleep sleep" from the overly excited white bundle of joy. Rolling her eyes Glacia didn't know what else to expect. She moved to her space pod and unsealed the latch, slowly opening the hatch and climbing inside.

Glacia crawled inside first, coiling her tail at the bottom of her pod. Princess followed suit, marveling at the flashing lights within the pod. It took her some effort but she managed to crawl over Glacia's thick tail. The arcticat figured out where the best place to sleep was quickly, curling up in a fluffy white ball in the middle of her new owner's tail, doing her best to steal body heat from Glacia. The Kold Demoness sighed, reached out to slowly shut the door to her hatch. Sealing it tight and relaxing in her seat before falling asleep herself.

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Word Count: 10,000. Reward Request: Zeni