After a minute of repeated snow and slow climbing to ensure he wouldn't panic, he managed to reach a flat rock surface and in the center was a small shrine. The flat surface had been craved out of the mountain and the shrine itself was made mostly of stone with the exception of a few pillars of wood and the odd metallic decoration that jingled in the wind. Karcier wiped away some snow from his mantle and examined his surroundings, the mountain seemed to wrap itself around the shrine as if to protect it, or hide it.
"This must be it" he said "It better be it".
He approached the shrine carefully, all around him were what seemed to be fallen decorations of armors and weapons. Scattered and half covered by the snow, he felt the magic quietly creep around him. It followed him, watched him. He kept his pace steady, one hand protecting his face from the harsh snow that still fell upon him whilst the other held onto the hilt of his sword. As he reached the shrine the snow died down almost completely, he raised an eye brow and turned around to see the snow whirling around the shrine yet he felt nothing. Was it afraid of the shrine ?
He shrugged the thought away and turned back to the shrine, its wooden doors were barely held on at the hinges. Something had forced its way in he noted. Perhaps bandits or a creature seeking refuge from the storm either way he hoped whatever had done such wasn't there now. He pushed what was left of the door open and jumped as it crashed onto the wall with a loud thud. The room was small, barely able to fit more then four people in it. At the center was a pedestal with a tablet, all around it were wilted flowers and old trinkets that had faded to almost nothing. He walked towards the tablet, boots crunching on decade old offerings. He examined the tablet, it had some form of writing which he didn't understand but he recognized the symbol of the burning phoenix at its center. It was one of the many symbols used to represent the old goddess of Kelona, Etaine.
The tablet was surprisingly light for one made of stone, it felt practically like a feather. Then seconds after touching it it began to pulse, fire flowed through the phoenix symbol then leaked onto the words causing it to glow a fire red. It felt warm to the touch and a sense of reward fell over him but it was the voice that forced him into a defensive posture.
"Thy child, ye have proven yourself in the trail of strength. ye have proven your zeal and shown great determination against the guardians, know that I smile upon you. To have defeated the guardians in a test of skill and leave victorious is only but a taste of what ye shall gain when by my side. You need only finish your pilgrim and my gift shall be yours, take this key and fulfill your destiny, Earn the gift of your goddess, for eternal bliss is but a step away."
The tablet then went cold, the fire left it and the voice vanished. Had that been Etaines voice he wondered, he'd never heard it before. He placed the tablet back and as he did a symbol of an eye appeared on the tablet, it eroded the stone symbol of the phoenix leaving a hole. But there was nothing inside it, had the key been taken ? He took a step back, annoyed at the fact he'd leave empty handed then something caught his eye. A handful of roses peeked from behind the pedestal, fresh roses. He kneeled down and examined them.
"Someone has been here before..." he muttered. "And no doubt they also have the key" he wondered for a moment. These were possibly days old unlike the others that had since petrified due to the cold. He gave the roses a closer inspection and grinned as on the stem of one he saw a blue smear, a thorn was covered in it. Possibly blood, he thought. He took the rose and sealed it into his bag. He decided the best course of action would be to take it to Teide, she might uncover who's blood this was.
Battle
Before leaving the shrine, he tossed a teleportation rune that if he wished would take him back to this place so long as the magic lasted. As he stepped out, he heard the sound of metal scraping along stone. He tried to find the sourceo f the sound but could only see snow, he drew his sword in time to block a rough blade striking that cut through the snow storm.
"Such matters are never simple are they" he tells himself as he pushed the rough blade away. The creature, whatever it was dragged itself out from the thick snowstorm and into plain sight. Karcier cautiously stepped around it, noticing the blue stains on its armour as he did so. The creature seemed to be merely magic holding togethor the metal armour togethor yet the hate that emitted from it was real. It swung at Karcier and narrowly missed him, Karcier side stepped to the right and tested the creatures reaction with a few fake swings. It seemed unfazed by the swings and even left one connect but karciers sword simply scraped against the metal armour and left the magic essence inside it intact.
Karcier took a few steps back to consider a different approach, swords wouldn't do much. If he had some form of magic that might've helped but he had none. The creature rushed towards him, blade scraping against the stone. It used inhuman strength and with swift speed it raised its sword but failed to connect as Karcier dodged. He smiled as he drew his gemmed dagger and hit the creature with swift speedy strikes, it staggered and karcier followed with a jumping side kick. It fell to the floor, dropping its sword. Karcier grinned, for all his lost magic he still was quick. He grabbed a rune from his mantle pocket and cracked it, it began to pulse and shake uncontrolablly.
"Please don't explode in my face" he muttered as he tossed the rune beside the creature that was now getting up. Karcier backflipped backwards as it exploded on impact sending bits of armour all over the place. The snow mixed itself with the fire then settled, silence reigned over but the creature didn't seem to reappear. Karcier smiled, his legs ached slightly but that was to be expected after all he hadn't fought in a long time. With the creature not returning it was time for Karcier to leave, to Teides alchemy shop.