Only when the Society's camp was barely out of sight did Rufus look back. He remembered that the dark came quickly during the winter, but in the rush to leave, the fact barely lingered in his mind. "It's too dark to traverse safely back to town. Perhaps it would have been wise to spend the night at the camp," he lamented.

"And let the old geezers try to take her back?" Sting cried, jabbing a thumb behind him, where Rogue and Frosch trailed behind with the girl in tow.

"If we stayed any longer, the Society would have convinced her to stay," Lector said. "We were lucky to get out when the Dragon Queen agreed to come."

"Fro thinks so, too!"

The Memory-Make wizard examined the girl discreetly. While she seemed to regain some motor capacity, it was clear from the distant look in her eyes that the ice didn't just affect her legs. After spending centuries within her icy prison, she barely had an idea as to what was going on. "...I would imagine that the Dragon Queen Tiamat would put up more of a struggle against her captors," he finally replied, turning back to the White Dragon Slayer.

Sting waved a hand dismissively. "She knows where the real power lies, Rufus."

Frowning in disagreement, Rufus opened his mouth to voice his rebuttal when something fell behind them with a thump. The blond men wheeled around to see Frosch standing next to the girl's unconscious form. "Rogue, what happened?" Sting demanded as his partner bent down to see what was wrong with the girl.

"Why did the pretty lady fall, Rogue?" Frosch asked. The Exceed's eyes filled with tears as a horrible possibility crossed his mind. "Is she...dead?"

The girl was still breathing, but Frosch failed to see that in his panic. Patting his best friend's head reassuringly, Rogue shook his head. "No, Frosch. She's sleeping."

"She's exhausted," Rufus corrected while Rogue scooped the girl into his arms. "Trapped in the ice for centuries and it took her all of her strength to keep up with us."

"But she's the Dragon Queen!" Lector protested. "She's supposed to be powerful!"

"She may be the Dragon Queen, but at the moment, she is only a human girl," the Memory-Make wizard reminded. But he's right, in a sense, he thought, casting a doubtful look at the girl. If this girl is the Dragon Queen—the deity who was said to be the origin of all dragons—then why is she here before us in human form? Like this, she's extremely vulnerable. Rufus took in their surroundings to see if they could set up a small camp, but only a snow-covered tundra failed to meet his hopeful expectation. "We can't stay here for the night, not if we want Tiamat to die on us," he added. "Our only choice is to keep moving."

"She was disoriented," Rashid finally said, breaking the silence that Saber Tooth left them in when they left with the girl. Her dazed eyes made it clear that though she was still alive, her mind hadn't caught up to reality yet. "She didn't have a clue of what was going on." Anubis yapped, voicing his agreement with his master.

Jean-Luc Neville wrung his hands frantically, aghast from how easily Saber Tooth escorted the girl away. "Yes...that is actually the most plausible explanation. I will admit, in our eagerness to question her, we overlooked her condition."

Probably because you only saw her as a piece of history, Rashid thought bitterly.

"And when the Dragon Slayer shielded her, he must have imprinted on her as a protector," another archaeologist added. "Hence why she chose to leave with them. That behavior is akin to a duckling and its mother."

"But what will happen when she regains awareness?" the balding archaeologist questioned. "Will she still view the Dragon Slayer as such?"

"On the off chance that she sees Saber Tooth as a threat, then we may be able ask her to come with us," Jean-Luc reasoned.

Anubis growled abruptly, causing the Archaeological Society to return their attention to the duo from Sylph Labyrinth. "You must be mistaken if you think she'll come back to you guys," Rashid admonished, "not after the way you treated her."

"But those wizards only intend to use her to unlock an ancient power!" Jean-Luc cried. "You said it yourself, young man! Surely, you don't mean to leave that girl in their hands?"

"As much as I hate those power-hungry wizards, I'd rather see her in danger with them than to see her collecting dust with you!"

"You can't truly mean that!" the archaeologist who accompanied Rashid protested. "She is not safe with those wizards—someone must rescue her!"

"And I'm under no obligation to fulfill that." Rashid brandished a finger at the Archaeological Society. "I made a deal to get you through that basement until I got the Bracelet of Tiamat—everything that I did after that was my own choice. Your rules have no hold on me now. If you want the girl that badly, get her yourself."

The Treasure Hunter spun on his heel before he stalked out of the tent with Anubis at his heels, both of them ignoring the indignant cries of the Archaeological Society.

Rashid's anger towards the Society for their shameless treatment of the girl rendered him impervious to the cold, but he felt it diffuse little by little after walking for ten minutes. He felt reason return to his mind, which warned him to find a shelter immediately. However, the Treasure Hunter refused to return to the Society's camp—that would mean the same as giving into their demands. That was something his pride as a Treasure Hunter couldn't take.

Anubis looked up and whined to his master, who shook his head. "I'm not going back there, Anu," he said firmly. The dog seemed to shake his head, indicating that his master misunderstood. "The girl? You want me to get her back?" Anubis barked in confirmation. Rashid sighed. "I'm not going after her so the Society can take her back."

The Anubian Jackal growled, obviously displeased with his master's answer. "Forget it, Anubis," Rashid said, walking past his dog. "She wanted to leave with Saber Tooth—I'm not going to oppose her choice."

Anubis ran ahead of Rashid and stood before him, posing as an obstruction to his path and decision. The Anubian Jackal barked at his master, regarding him with an expression akin to disapproval. Looking into his partner's eyes, Rashid felt the rest of his anger die down. Anubis sniffed at the Bracelet of Tiamat, reminding Rashid of the vow he took. "...You really want to save that girl, too, Anubis?"

The obsidian dog yapped once to his master's question; Rashid bent down and patted Anubis' head. "Alright, buddy. On my honor as a Treasure Hunter, I'll rescue her." The Treasure Hunter's expression darkened, his hand resting upon the canine's ears. As much he didn't want to play into the Archaeological Society's expectations, he couldn't leave her with Saber Tooth. "However...I can't guarantee that I'll bring her back to the Archaeological Society."

Anubis barked several times, as though expressing that he expected nothing more. "Alright, Anubis—" Rashid returned to his feet and straightened his blazer. "Our next target: the girl!"