"DRAGON INCOMING!" The mages were still using their strength to draw in mana when an alarm went out among the expedition. The earth shook as the smell of ash and brimstone came from outside. "Zao is here?! Since when did he arrive?!" Nerine gasped, looking out through the temple's doors. From the way the great black dragon was flying, he seemed to be passing by than making a grand entrance. The primordial dragon looked more like a mountain than a living creature with pieces of cooled igneous rock falling off of its immense body. "Keep going! Don't stop now!" One of the mercenaries shouted her way. Pygmalion came in having checked the status of the metallic obelisk that had fallen nearby. "We should still be safe for now. The pillar's magic is still obscuring us and the temple from view." He had taken the time to explain its purpose to the fighters and others who weren't busy channeling mana. "There's a second obelisk farther away to the west that's generating a projection of the Prison of Eternal Frost as a decoy." 

"How much longer before you lot are done? I've got a bad feeling in my bones, I'm sure of it." Andras spoke up, worry setting deep new creases into his brow. "Patience Mr. Andras, some things can't be sped up by force." Pygmalion answered, but the mercenary wasn't convinced this time. "That thing out there isn't going to protect us. It's only keeping us hidden–you said so yourself!" The automaton raised his hands in defense. "Yes, but we should be safe as long as it isn't damaged. Once the mages finish their task we will get moving right away–" The man wasn't having it this time. Nerves were getting frayed and the bitter cold was chipping away at everyone. Grabbing the automaton by the front of his clothing, the old mercenary shook him with anger in his eyes. "Look here you–I'm not going to stand around while we're defenseless just because a piece of glowing metal is working some magic. All you've done is talk while we're doing all the work! Open your bloody eyes and see things for what they really are you greenhorn–" He grabbed the piece of cloth that was over Pygmalion's eyes and tore it off, freezing up when he saw what was underneath. "–Gods, what on earth are you?!" 

Andras let go of Pygmalion as he took a few steps back. "I understand your fears and concern Mr. Andras, we're all in this together. I assure you that the Steward of Antikythera will keep their end of the deal should we ever run into trouble. That glowing piece of metal is a testament to that promise. Now if you would be so kind to return my blindfold to me, I would appreciate it." The mercenary dropped the blindfold and turned to leave in a hurry, then the automaton went over to retrieve the fallen piece of cloth from the snow. Once it was back on, he turned to face the others who had gathered out of curiosity. With a smile, he said: "There's nothing to see here, please return to your stations." As the crowd dispersed, he turned his blindfolded gaze to the skies that were growing thick with grey clouds.

"They're getting close. Almost there…" Her fingernails scraped against the table as anxiety was building. Zao had arrived on Itjivut and Raorik was nowhere to be seen. They absolutely could not have another repeat of the Prison of Howling Gales. The decoy was still effective as Zao ignored the place where the real temple resided, however she still couldn't figure out why the ice drake hadn't shown up. Were they avoiding each other? Baltil might be able to gain ground in progressing in their temple while Zao was here, and she still hadn't gotten word on the solution for Onnen. She contacted her remaining staff in the Machinarium. "Prepare to dispatch the mobile towers above the skies of Itjivut. I will relay the target coordinates once they are ready to go." The wait was finally over. The time had come to put her plans into motion. They would live or die with how this would all play out. Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, she began to send the coordinates for the mobile towers. Once her staff were ready, she would open portals for them to send them through. Portals through folding through the fabric of space emerged as the currently cloaked towers descended. If they didn't incapacitate the dragons, then they could at least buy the mages more time to finish what they came to do. 

"Target is currently circling the skies above Points 1, 3, and 7. Repeating flight pattern confirmed. Initiating start-up procedure." As Zao was making his rounds, the invisible towers dropped their cloaking shields and began powering up. "Triggering Option A for execution." The runes for the curse sequence ignited and began to drain the life energy of the great dragon. Though just a trickle, it caught his attention and a flaming floe of lava was sent hurtling towards two of the towers. "Towers 1 and 7 are reporting an intense rise in temperature. Structural integrity is now 85%." Standing to her feet Shiloh began tearing at her hair as she looked at the projection from her wayfinder's widget. "Nonononononono–" Throwing on her knapsack and shoving in a magic potion, she bolted out of her cabin through the door, widget in hand. It was too soon in the loop for her to lose any of the towers. The longer they stayed up the stronger their efficiency would be. She needed to stall the dragon for at least five more minutes before she could accept any losses. Opening a portal to the towers' location, she ran as she tried to see which ones needed emergency shielding. 

"Structural integrity for Towers 1 and 7 are now 63%. Towers 2, 3, and 5 are facing minor structural damage." She was hyperventilating now, her mind high on adrenaline and drawing a blank. Skidding to a stop, she instinctively crouched down as she saw the massive dragon in the middle of the snow-covered valley. Tall timber trees that were maybe centuries old were flattened and splintered trunks were burning as cooled lava was solidifying around their bases. "What do I do what do I do?!!" She went into a panic as the dragon started thrashing around. "Accelerating execution of remaining towers with structural integrity above 50%!" If she couldn't slow the damage down, then she had to speed hers up. The runic inscriptions on all towers flared to life, intensifying the combination of curses. Taking out her skyshard boomerangs, Shiloh rushed in to draw Zao's attention away from the machinery. Something bounced off of the gargantuan dragon's thick rocky hide, prompting Zao to turn around to see what foolish insect had chosen to disturb him. A single lone human in flimsy-looking armor stood out against the stark whiteness of the landscape before running in the opposite direction. 

Letting out a roar, the arrogant dragon was incensed that someone dared to attack him. As the bellow was ringing in her ears, Shiloh began to make a turn in her path in an attempt to keep him within range of the towers' effect. 

A rumbling started in the distance, and at first she thought it was thunder. Worried that it was Etanu, Nerine was relieved to hear that there were no signs of the feathered dragon in the sky. The mages' efforts were taking their toll and her body was feeling heavier by the second. Pygmalion received a message from Antikythera and by his tone it didn't sound like good news. He did his best to limit how much others could gather from his conversation, but worries were starting to bubble to the surface. Wild beasts were now fleeing from the west and approaching in towards the east, but they were ignoring the mercenaries and focused on running as far away as they could. "Keep going! We're almost there!" How much longer until they were finally done? Everyone was just about to reach their limit when the metal obelisk that had been keeping them hidden from the dragons' eyes suddenly stopped glowing. Murmurs spread through the expedition camp as black smoke was rising in the west Haltian Mountains. Then…the temple sprang back to life.

The mana coursed through the ancient stones as a powerful vortex pushed the mages towards the exit. "We've done it! Something is happening!" With the automatons' assistance, the mounts and vehicles were ready for departure. The exhausted mages were carried up onto the sleds and beasts of burden as the vanguard took the lead. Explosions rocked the western part of the mountain range as something was going on that caused Zao to fight. The metallic obelisk that had acted as their cover began to dislodge itself from the earth, taking to the skies and setting itself on a direct collision course in the direction of the dragon's roars. A mass exodus of wildlife was heading towards the eastern side of the island, a sight never seen before in ages past. It was almost as if they believed they would receive salvation once they reached the sea. The port city of the Hiafae was still standing, steaming craters with cooling rock littering the tundra. The internal reinforcements that had been brought from the Machinarium had held, and the damage was greatly reduced. The docks were still a wreck, but it was a comforting sight to see they had a place to return to. 

"Lady Angela has restored the Prison of Howling Gales!" The news triggered a flood of cries and shouts while people were hugging each other in relief. Good news came from the Prison of Molten Stone as well as Zao's lack of presence had assisted treks to restore the mana within the temple. Finally, she lost consciousness. Having endured a grueling trial of mental and physical fortitude, Nerine was totally spent. Any news that came in would be learned once she was rested, and it would be something they all needed to hear.