Chapter 121: Pack your snowshoes

If Olga had been doubting the Caster earlier when he said it was going to get dark quickly, then any doubts she currently had about his words were being suitably washed away. The storm hanging overhead hadn't waned in the least during their short meeting in the central lodge.

As she gazed across the settlement, she watched as the people started to load up what little supplies they could carry along with the wounded on the back.

There was one issue she was noticing though, there were easily around two hundred people living here and they only seemed to have perhaps a dozen horses. If not less than that.

"Hey, lass." She jolted from her position at the side, turning her head to the approaching figure of Cu Chulainn, the Caster waving towards her and getting close enough that she could actually hear him over the storm, not that the noise was actually so severe. "You've probably noticed but we ain't exactly suffering from a surplus of mounts." he nodded behind himself in the direction of the growing caravan.

Olga gazed over his shoulder, squinting her eyes behind her goggles before she returned her attention to the man and waited for him to elaborate further.

"The Rider that came with you could make those weird little glass horses, right?" He asked, gesturing with his hand in a vague direction which the Director assumed was the general location of the Rider Servant in question "Think she can help us out a little?"

"If it can stop you from being slowed down, then fine." She waved her hand dismissively before she frowned "I am unsure how many she can generate though."

"Meh, even one is better than nothing and it's not like the horses we have are exactly the pictures of health." He snorted hollowly as he shook his head "Foods have been scarce as is and it ain't like they can eat fish."

That brought another concern to the Director "What of food? Will the horses starve?"

"If we had more?" Cu shrugged "Probably. Although the further south they head, the more likely they are to stumble across some good eating so that problem should take care of itself in the long run." he paused for a moment "Wounded though? That'll be a different issue."

Olga raised an eyebrow at him and frowned "Can't you heal them?"

"Hey, I can keep 'em breathing easily enough but I ain't made of magical energy here." He replied back with a shake of the head, then paused and raised a single finger "Not a joke, by the way. I'm using the cheapest combinations I can to keep them alive without worrying about mana cost. I can probably sustain myself for a good week but don't expect me to be firing off my Noble Phantasm or something."

Olga frowned at him "Then why not just accept a contract with-"

"You? Bad idea, lass." Cu shook his head at her, giving her a smile under his hood "We both got those wild tempers, mine is just a little more restrained than yours."

Olga bristled "You-how dare-" she thumped a fist into herself "I am a Master too, you know!"

Cu raised an eyebrow at her, then looked down at the hand that held her command seals, even covered by her thick gloves he could still tell where they were. "I know that." He acknowledged with a nod of the head easily enough "Just shit compatibility is all."

He squinted at her "Actually…It hasn't gotten better in the least, how did you even contract a Servant to begin with?" he paused and looked over his shoulder "It ain't simple headed knight, is it? He seems the sort to do whatever you say but…Hmmmm."

Olga was still glaring at him, raising her hand and stabbing a finger in his direction "You listen to me you hoodlum-"

"Meh, whatever." He shrugged, ignoring whatever the woman was trying to say and turning back around to face her, sporting a wide grin "So long as you don't freeze up - and your Servants aren't weak as shit - then we should be able to stumble our way through this, eh?" he cheered, reaching forwards and slapping her on the shoulder with enough force to stumble her slightly.

The Director let out a surprised gasp at the sudden push, staggering forwards and struggling to keep her feet on the snowy ground.

Cu blinked as a shadow suddenly loomed over him, a large metallic hand reached out and instantly clasped the back of the Directors coat and halted her flailing before she could fall. The newly formed titan of a Servant gently pulled the woman back and set her gently on the ground, all the while the scale armoured helmet with twin horns jutting horizontally from the side of the head and a frizzled red plume extending from the back seemingly glared down at him.

The Caster - rather than be off put - simply stared at the new Servant with something akin to fascination as he gave them a once over "Ho? You're a big fella, aren't you but…hmmm." he frowned and stepped back, narrowing his eyes behind his hood "You got this empty sort of feeling to you."

Olga patted herself down and sent a rather irritated glare at the Caster before it turned into a smug look, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and puffed herself out "This is the Servant I summoned."

Cu looked at her, then back at the Berserker before he reached up and scratched the back of his hood "Well, he's certainly got a presence about him." he looked over his shoulder and noticed that several of the passerby's had paused in their work and become aware of the newly appeared Servant, their faces slowly turning ashen.

Cu waved his hand to placate them, giving the best smile he could beneath his hood.

The people let out noises of understanding as they departed, still looking over their shoulder at the Servant.

"So…This guy." Cu turned back around and stared up at the Servant "Really wanted to keep that ace up your sleeve, huh? I thought the lass with the big hat was kidding when it came to putting him inside the lodge." he smirked "You ain't part giant, are ya?"

Stahl stared down at him in silence, not offering anything by way of a response.

The lack of a reaction prompted the Caster to thin his lips and give the Servant a mildly frustrated click of the tongue "You're either an asshole or you're a Berserker." he paused, looking the Servant up and down before he turned to the Director "If it's the latter, guess you must be doing something right to keep one of those guys under your thumb and fairly obedient."

There was another pause "Unless it's like some kind of Geas that makes them obey any sort of order given to them."

Olga regarded him with a flat look, lowering her hands to her side and placing them on her hips "Are you just working out ways to not so subtly insult me now?"

Cu raised his free hand to placate her "Nothing like that, but if we're gonna be working together I gotta know what I'm actually working with." he gestured to the Berserker "I'm not gonna ask for their life story or something but how useful are they actually going to be?"

"They're a Dragon Slayer."

"...Well shit. That useful then." He cracked a smile at the Director before looking up at the Berserker "Guess you're gonna get overworked, aren't ya big guy?"

Stahl remained silent.

"...Sheesh, still nothing?" Giving another sigh, the Caster shook his head while turning away from the pair and moving away from them "Well, alright then. Just make sure the big guy does a bit more than stand around and look pretty! Especially because they ain't doing that last part terribly well!"

Olga huffed from her nose, turning to look up at Stahl as they maintained their watch on the retreating Caster, eventually the Berserker turned their head back towards the Director and stared down at her in silence. The woman gave a long sigh before removing her hands from her hips.

Then stalked further into the settlement, the Berserker lumbering behind her. As it stood, it would make much more sense to have her Servant at least speed up the process by doing the 'Heavy lifting' as it were. The superior strength would allow them to carry much more weight than the horses without having to worry about water and food.

Was there some issue with turning her Servant into a pack mule?

Hardly, it wasn't like they would ever disagree with anything she would say.

Torin fastened the sleigh onto the saddle of the horse, adjusting the straps to ensure they were tight but not too tight as to cause the animal discomfort. An irritated beast would make for a poor companion in such troubling times.

The man nodded once, then moved around to the front of the animal and rested his hand upon its snout, closing his eyes behind his helmet. "Just a few more days of hardship, girl. Then you will have a good rest."

He patted the animal twice on the snout when it came a light whine in response, then moved past it while making a gesture to one of the riders to mount the animal. As he advanced further through the caravan, he felt eyes upon him. He ceased his walk and shifted his attention in the direction of the gaze.

Finding one of the women who had accompanied the brash leader staring at him in curiosity, it was the pale haired one with the oversized hat. Quite how it remained on her head without falling off was a mystery to him but he supposed it was simply going to be one of those things that wouldn't be explained unless it was asked. He could still pass along a warning to her though.

His animosity to her leader didn't extend to her.

"Is there something you have need of me for?" He asked, breaking the short silence and looking off to the side to see how progress was getting along "If so, I ask that it be a quick request. There is much to be done and little time to be had."

"I'll try and be quick." The girl apologised as she advanced, then bowed her head "I'm Marie Antoinette. Queen of France."

Torin blinked for a moment as his head returned to her in surprise, the girl flashed him a soft smile as she inclined her head to the side.

"We did make an agreement to trade our true names, didn't we?"

"...That we did." Torin slowly admitted, his own confusion slowly giving way to a small degree of respect in his voice "I see that you, at least, understand the value that words have." Marie made a slight face at the subtle jab towards a certain someone.

"That is something I would like to talk with you about-"

"If it relates to your leader, then this is hardly a suitable time to air grievances." Torin raised his hand "When the safety of this flock is assured, then we might speak more openly on the topic. However, if you are indeed able to provide council to her then I would urge you do so." he lowered his hand, his voice shifting into a more stern one "If it had not been for the Seidr's council, or your interruption, I have no doubt we would not be here right now."

"She's…new to this." Marie raised her hands to give him a placating gesture "She's not really been commanding Servants like this before and I don't think she's used to commanding in the least." she paused before she gave a thoughtful frown "Or she's watched how people command and is trying to copy it without understanding what leadership is like."

Torin inclined his head "And you do?"

That elicited a sad look from the girl "I'm probably not a good person to comment on what being a good leader is about. I really do love the citizens of France though, but…I suppose we just didn't get one another."

"Unfortunate." Torin exhaled "But such is the fate of Kings and Queens to be placed on pedestals." he gestured to himself "In truth, I have little respect for royalty." he paused "The title, not those who wear them." he looked past her and further into the settlement as if trying to discover someone, walking closer to the Queen as he spoke "In truth…your leader is very much how I always imagined a meeting with a royal would go."

"...Ah."

"Hmmm. Demands based purely upon their titles rather than a position of mutual understanding." Torin sighed, turning back to the young Queen "But if what you say holds truth to it…Then I will look upon her actions through the reflection of a different stream."

Marie blinked before she giggled "You make a lot of references to the woodlands, don't you?"

"Is that a strange thing for a Druid to do?"

"Probably not but I've never really met a Druid before." Marie admitted with a shrug before her expression turned curious, she looked past him and towards the horse he had been tending to "Do you treat them all that way?"

"The animals? Naturally." Torin responded without a second moment of hesitation "They are just as much a subordinate of mine as the men. All require the same needs to be content and work to the benefit of all. Just as beasts need food and water, so too does man. Just as beasts need shelter and respect, so too does man." he gestured to the Queen "When put forth as such, is it odd that I would treat the animals with respect? Some are placing their lives in the hands of these horses, why would I treat them lesser?"

Marie blinked twice at him before she made a noise "I didn't think about it like that."

"I doubt you would, few who do not come from the woodlands do." He sighed, shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest. "To my knowledge, only the pyromancers of the swamp understood our creed just as we understood theirs." his voice shifted into a more nostalgic one "There was once a time when our two groups would attend pilgrimages into the other's land. While the swamp is no home for the Druids of the snowy forests, we could appreciate the connection with nature."

"And the pyromancers?"

"They came to see the Ethereal Oak and pay respect to it." He explained before his voice turned sombre "Well…they used to at least. The grotto was turned to ash and the tree reduced to a dead wood…The Abyss Dragon destroyed all we cultivated."

"...I'm sorry-"

"There is no need for your condolences." Torin cut her off, shaking his head "It is the way of nature, just as something is born then so too must it die."

"That doesn't mean the end needs to be so tragic."

"...Heh…I suppose that much is also true." Torin admitted with a nod of the head before he turned around "I believe this should mark the end of our conversation, we still have much work to attend to." he paused and turned back to the Queen "And I would advise you to find a more secure method of keeping that on your head." he pointed at the hat.

"Eh?" Marie blinked, reaching up and touching it "What do you mean?"

"The walls keep out not just the drakes, but the worst of the winds. The moment we pass beyond the walls, we shall be at the mercy of the storm." He elaborated "And I suspect your…hat. Might be lost."

"Ah, I'll make sure to keep a firm grip on it." Marie replied with an amused smile but still gave the man a thankful nod for his concern "Do you want use of my carriage for some of your wounded as well?"

Torin paused "The crystal summon…Hmmm." he gave a thoughtful hum, cupping his chin and staring at the Queen "Would the pale haired leader not protest the loss of her personal transport?"

"...I think I can convince her."

"...If you believe you can do so, then I will not stop you." He allowed, nodding his head before he raised his hand "But I would not count upon the blooming of trees in winter."

Marie made a face at him for a few moments before she shook her head, giving him a faint smile "I will do my best." she paused. "Thanks for the warning about my hat, by the way." she added on, her smile shifting to become more gentler "That was very thoughtful of you to say."

"Even if my words might seem cold…I do wish for us to be allies." Torin explained in an equally soft voice "We are all the same beneath the Ethereal Oak…There is no reason to act as though we are not and…as far as first impressions of you." he paused, cupping the helm of his chin and looking the young Queen up and down "You do not seem to be quite so bad but…"

Marie could already recognise that sort of 'but' she instead shook her head at him "I know. But I love them all the same."

"...Then I cannot question your resolve." Torin nodded once "And I ask that - for as long as you remain - you see the people of this land as those of your own and treat them as you would yours. If that is possible for you to do."

Marie giggled "I will always love France but…that doesn't mean I can't love everyone else."

"Heh, then I suppose that will be enough." He paused. "In truth, I always loved the grotto most of all."

"I suppose we're both a little selfish with our love, aren't we?"

Torin barked out a laugh "Just a touch."

Tarkus always considered himself a good listener, he might not always understand what people were talking about but he would always listen to them. That was the important part, if someone wanted to talk about something then the most important thing was that they wanted someone to listen to what they had to say, else they wouldn't be talking in the first place.

That was his approach to discussions.

Hence why - even as he was helping to load the injured onto the sleighs - he was responding to Lady Nero's chatterings as best he could. Being active in one task didn't give him cause to be rude.

"Hence why, when you return to Chaldea, I would like to employ you for your physical prowess." She finished up proposing to him, hands on her hips and fur cape resting on her shoulders with her front dress exposed to the outside air once again.

"You need my help in moving something at Chaldea, Miss Nero?" Tarkus summarised as he gently set down the wounded man and pulled his arms back just a touch and held them about an inch from the injured in case he needed to make any more moves. When he was satisfied that he didn't need to, he let out a relieved sigh and straightened himself out once again and shifted his attention to the Emperor as he resumed his walk back into the tent for the wounded.

"More than simple moving." Nero dismissed with a shake of the head as she followed after him, falling into step with his side "I suspect there will be a great many tasks that shall come up that will require those of great physical prowess." she gestured him up and down "And you very much seem the sort to be rather skilled on that front."

Tarkus gave an abashed giggle as he reached up and scratched the back of his helmet "W-well shucks, Miss Nero. That's very nice of you to say." he lowered his arm "Mother always said that I was only ever really good for lifting things around the house." he paused for a moment "She actually told me to be a Knight."

"Truly?" Nero blinked before nodding "It seemed she had quite the perspective on your talents."

"She said I was also good at breaking things." He added on with another embarrassed laugh "Mother wasn't wrong either, father said the same thing as well." pushing the door open, he stepped into the small building and faced the closest individual "Hello, Miss Jorunn."

A woman with brilliant red hair turned about to face them, cloaked in thick furs and with a steel eyed look about her. "Another one?"

Tarkus nodded his head.

"Sten can walk, don't let him fool you." She gruffly responded, throwing a thumb over her shoulder and gesturing somewhere over into the room before she paused, her pale lips thinned ever so slightly "Worst are those who came from the northern ones." she nodded further up "You know the way to 'em."

"Yes, Miss Jorunn." Tarkus nodded his head and raised it back up, walking a short distance past her to some of the injured lying upon a few fabric sheets on the ground. The large knight leaned down and grabbed the fabric before folding it over the injured, bundling them up in their furs like some manner of cocoon and then sliding his hands underneath them and raising them up with ease.

"Careful." Jorunn called out without actually looking in his direction, she was by the side of another patient pressing a wet cloth to his head to clean the wound. The woman looked over her shoulder and watched Tarkus depart with a hum before she looked back down.

"There are many injured here?" Nero asked, ceasing her walk behind the red head. Jorunn paused in her work for a moment and waved her hand.

"No. Most die in battle, thankfully." She responded back with a grunt, shifting her gaze towards the dozen or so that remained alive "Lost a few to injuries." she spoke in a pained tone of voice. Nero hummed along with her, from what the Throne had told her of Viking culture, that was basically damming them to Hell.

"You said these came from the Northern lands?" The Emperor asked further, "The Caster spoke of the burning of the North."

"Cas-Ah, you mean the Jarl." She understood, nodding her head "Yes…Black clouds hung above our heads for days after that, then we got a few riders bringing with them bad tidings. It was not until the new Jarl arrived that we caught sight of what we were to fear. Winged Serpents, the kin of Fafnir."

Nero hummed to herself as she thought about the words "I believe the…Seidr was the first to arrive?"

"The emissary of the All-Father came at the same time as the great burning. Then came the Jarl."

"Did you not have one before his arrival?"

"We did but Brynjar was not Jarl for long, his father passed in battle and before his time. Therefore as chief he lacked experience." She turned around "Jarl Torin has already made it clear he shall teach Brynjar all he knows and then shall depart once the children of Fafnir and their fellow kin have been slain."

Nero remained silent, nodding her head and then turning away and going back out into the cold. While it was still mitigating circumstances, the idea of Servants leading the living was still very much a subject that the Throne instilled in her was Taboo. The dead do not govern the living, although she was personally sceptical as to whether any of those from the alternate world would regard that in any capacity as a command.

Given how it seemed the dead did nothing but command the living.

The door to the command room opened, Romani strolled back in with a fresh cup of coffee in his hands. The man looked left and right, briefly scanning the command room before he took a sip from the mug in his hands and announced his presence.

"Hey, guys. How is it going with the Director?"

"They're about halfway done." Meuniere informed him "From the looks of things they'll be ready to move within an hour. Also the Caster wasn't kidding when he was talking about that storm, readings from outside the bounded field are showing that temperatures have dropped further."

The doctor frowned as he sat himself down "How much further have they dropped?" if they dropped to a level that was harmful to health, then they would need to consider some manner of further protection for the Director. The coat she had was supposed to protect her from the worst of it but consistent exposure to those sorts of temperatures would start to affect her.

"Looking at minus twenty-five out there." Kerry responded with a shiver of her own "Not to mention the wind speeds are starting to pick up and all. Looking at thirty miles an hour right outside."

Romani grimaced, while that wasn't nearly as bad as it could be that wasn't exactly good either. Cold as it got in Denmark during the winter months, it wasn't anything nearly as bad as this as he could recall for the region. To say nothing of the winds that might end up making it worse for trying to move through.

"There is some silver lining to this." Maxwell remarked from his own position as he turned around "Wyverns are cold-blooded, so they are going to have to store a lot of their own flames to raise their internal body temperature to a degree where they can actually move." The man leaned back into his chair and crossed his arm "So this storm works just as much as a cover for the group as it does as an obstacle."

Romani blinked at the man in surprise before he nodded his head repeatedly and gave an approving hum "I guess that is some good news." he grinned, turning towards Kerry "By the way, how are the readings looking for Fujimaru-kun's group, any word on them yet?"

Judging by Kerry's exhausted sigh, it would seem there wasn't any news yet.

"Really?" Romani frowned to himself, turning towards his own screen and setting his mug down before he switched through the screens until he came across the readings for the London team. As always, they were showing green across the board. Which meant there really shouldn't be anything for them to worry about.

Despite that, Romani couldn't hide this sense of worry. If there was nothing wrong with the readings then why hadn't they been contacted yet. Simple interference couldn't account for this as while they couldn't contact them initially from this end, all they would have to do would be to establish a communication link and then that would be that.

Shaking his head, the doctor leaned back into his chair and drummed his fingers on the desk. Eventually, he shook his head and shifted his chair to the side and opened up a tab next to him on the other monitor.

"Leo?" His words earned the attention of the others in the room "Can you try and do something to boost the power of Chaldea's communication signal?"

The geniuses voice crackled over the monitor a moment later, her face popping up on the screen with a mild look of concern "Still no word from Fujimaru-kun?"

Romani shook his head.

"Hmmmm. That doesn't seem right." The woman cupped her chin, drumming away on it with her fingers before she lowered them "Alright, I'll see what I can do for our communications on this end." she grinned, placing her hands on her hips and giving a prideful smile "Not like communication is an impossible task, is it? And even if it was…" she trailed off meaningfully while giving Romani a knowing look.

The doctor responded to her with a simple deadpan expression before he rolled his eyes and looked away from the Caster "You already know how good you are, Leo. You don't need me to dump you with more praise."

"Mou!" Da Vinci pouted, crossing her arms and shaking her head "What's the point of doing all of this if I'm not consistently regaled with praise for all my efforts?"

"The knowledge that you're helping mankind?" Romani replied with a dry tone of voice, Da Vinci responded with a loud laugh in response.

The doctor just sighed to himself and turned off the screen before the woman could actually respond to the question, he had a feeling he didn't actually want to hear her answer to begin with. Still, he could rest a little easier with the knowledge that Da Vinci herself was looking into the communication issue with Fujimaru-kun.

In the meantime…

"Director?" He activated the link with the woman in question.

"What?" Olga responded quickly, sounding not quite annoyed but very much on edge. The doctor wasn't surprised considering just how far out of her comfort zone she was.

"We've been taking more readings of the storm outside of the settlement." The man continued on "It's getting worse, you're looking at temperatures below minus twenty and storm winds with no sign of stopping." he paused for a moment before he continued on "The good news, we think, is that it should slow down any wyverns that might be trying to follow you."

"Because of the cold winds." Olga surmised easily enough, there was a pause before she spoke again "What about dragons?"

Romani paused, not answering the woman for a few moments as he briefly debated whether or not he should lie to her before he closed his eyes and released a long sigh.

"The chances are that if you are pursued by a Dragon…then they won't be affected too greatly by the weather outside." He grimaced and winced "Meaning if you're being chased by an actual Dragon…Then there's a good chance the storm will actually slow you down to the point where you would be easy targets."

"..."

"That being said, leaving is still the best idea." Romani hastily added on "Because there's a chance you should be able to gain some distance and r-really, it's better than staying in one spot." he pointed out "Because then you'd be dealing with a potential Dragon supported by Wyverns rather than just a dragon."

"H-hmmm!" Olga gave a single nod of the head through the screen, a confident smile coming to her face "N-naturally! And we can handle a single dragon easily enough with the Dragon-Slayer we have with us who won't be affected by the cold." she paused before she frowned "What of the people here, would they even be able to survive the voyage?"

Romani paused at that, his lips drew themselves into thin lines "I'm not sure, not very many people could last in a storm like that without appropriate protection. You'd need to see if the Casters can do anything for them otherwise…You will lose some to the storm."

Olga was silent for a moment "...I see." She then closed the communicator.

"Oh." Romani winced, reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose and exhaling "Maybe I should have broken that more gently?"

Kerry snorted "Maybe in such a way that didn't make it seem hopeless." she responded with, before she cupped her chin "Still…I thought she would have made some comment about that."

Romani shrugged "Who knows? She's probably going to be doing something."

Olga moved through the crowds already growing towards the head of the caravan, navigating it was easy enough considering she was being accompanied by Berserker. The imposing suit of armour made her almost unapproachable even without the fierce scowl on her face.

The woman looked left and right, her eyes moving across the crowd in an effort to find the Servant in question. She soon caught sight of the distinctive appearance of the antlered helmet jutting from the top of the crowd, easy enough when the owner of the armour stood just above two metres tall.

Turning in his direction, she soon started to make her way in his direction intent on catching his attention and alerting him to the main issue.

"-nsure that all the wounded are covered up and tied together." She could barely hear the conversation as she approached, Torin already midway through speaking with the blonde haired man from before who almost followed the Caster around like a lost child. "I will not lose them to this storm."

"Yes, Jarl." The man nodded his head "What about-" he cut himself off, eyes going wide as he looked just past the taller Caster and in the direction of the approaching Master/Servant duo. Although it was the looming form of Stahl closing in on him with deep reverberating steps that seemed to occupy the majority of his attention.

Torin noticed the shift in the man, soon looking over his shoulder and staring at the Director for a brief moment before his helmet gradually shifted and rose upwards as he gazed up towards the Berserker. The Caster stared at them for a moment before he turned back to the younger man "Bundle all the weapons we can and have Jorunn do her best. Remember, no torches. They will just as much light our way as they will light our enemies' way to us."

"Y-yes, Jarl." Brynjar nodded his head, eyes shifting between the two groups rapidly before he took a step back "Will you-"

"I will be fine, Brynjar." Torin assured the man as he slowly turned around to face Olga, the Director could already detect a note of exasperation in his voice for a split second before it faded away. "I suspect this is a matter of some importance?"

"You can't leave in this storm."

Torin stared at her in silence for a moment, then tilted his head "Oh? And where has this come from?"

Olga stared at him as if he was stupid "Wha-if you try to move people in that weather they're going to die." she snapped at him, then pointed down "If we stay here until it passes then we can at least defend against an attack if one comes."

"The small serpents cannot move in the cold." Torin pointed out, raising his right hand and pointing skywards towards the darkening heavens "The storm is the best time for our escape, especially under cover of darkness. They will not be able to pursue us and we are not so limited-"

"You're limited by body heat." The director snapped back, gesturing wildly at him "If you go out there in the storm then the people you're trying to save are going to end up freezing to death in the storm before they get very far!"

Torin raised a single finger towards her "Not out here." He spoke in a slow and commanding tone of voice, looking left and right before he nodded towards the building to their right. The shed where they kept the grain preserves. The man shifted towards it, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

The Director internally huffed as she followed him in, Stahl stared at the door for a few moments before he ducked down and twisted his body. The edges of the door creaked as it forced the wood to part and allow their huge frame into the building, even then the Berserker was forced to duck down as there simply wasn't enough room for them to stand up in.

Torin turned back around, briefly pausing as he stared at the squating giant before he returned his direction to the Director.

"First point. Do not raise your voice when trying to give me advice." He spoke in a stern tone of voice "It might incur panic that is undue. Second point. This is not a decision I have made lightly. I am aware of the risks involved."

"You made it before we arrived." Olga pointed out, placing her hands on her hips "You want us to abandon a defensible location and brave the storm to try and get south when there isn't a need to." she gestured to herself "If there is an attack, then we can repel it with the Servants we have on hand-"

"I have no guarantee of that." Torin cut her off before she could finish "While I have little doubt the entourage you arrived with would be capable of dealing with a flock of wyverns, they are not all that we face and to fight any dragon that would arrive would require the efforts of all the servants here."

"And I have a Dragon slayer-"

"Singular." Torin once again cut her off, his voice still even "Singular dragon slayer. I assume it to be the giant behind you?" when the Director gave no further response, he nodded his head and took it as acknowledgement "While the giant behind you does indeed seem capable of slaying dragons - and it is more than can be said for me or Seidr - that still leaves us with one. I doubt the Queen of France is as capable in the art of dragon slaying."

Olga widened her eyes "How did-" they then narrowed "She told you."

"We did make an agreement. Do not speak ill of her because she wishes her words to have value." Torin briefly scolded before he continued on "But let us suppose that we remain and it is not just a meagre force that arrives but the black dragon of calamity himself, accompanied by his kin. Do you see a method of victory before us against such odds?"

The Director rolled her jaw but didn't respond, at least for a few moments, then she spoke up "I'm not saying wait for them to come to us, but you two can't be the only Servants in this Singularity."

"And I have every reason to believe you on that front." Torin allowed with a nod of the head "I suspect there are others who exist but if there are, then they are beyond us for the moment. Likely taking refuge in the other cities to the east and perhaps further south. That is where they would have headed if they cared at all for the people they were summoned to protect."

"If you take them out south in this storm then they might end up dead before they even get very far!"

"Do not raise your voice." Torin dropped his own several octaves and raised a single finger in front of her, the woman stared at the digit for a few seconds before she narrowed her eyes at him "Yes. You are right though, leading the injured into the storm to seek safe haven will undoubtedly lead to some casualties and that is not something I can help. But I can guarantee there will be fewer than if we remain here."

"We don't even know there's a force of Dragons arriving!" The Director couldn't help but blurt out, waving her hands at the man "This is all just supposition on your part!"

"Supposition based on logic." Torin shook his head "The sky serpents behave like pack animals and when a pack member discovers prey, they alert the others." he pointed down "We are very much prey right now. The injured wyverns that escaped us will have flown back to safe haven and they will inform their packmates what lies here."

The Director frowned "If they fled and got caught in the storm, then how do you know they aren't dead?" she pointed at him "This whole plan is still based on guesswork!"

"Indeed. But if there is even the slightest chance that a single wyvern was able to fly back then I will take that as an absolute certainty." Torin leaned away from the woman "If we were protected by stronger trees than the saplings that surround us, then perhaps I would chance it or if we have more specialised dragon slayers then I would be more willing to as well but we do not."

He pointed to the Berserker "Even the arrival of you and your allies brings the grand total of Dragon Slayers here from none to one. While it is better than nothing, it will still not be able to contend with a full force of wyverns that fall upon us. We cannot defend the people and slay wyverns at the same time."

The woman opened her mouth to speak again.

"Nor can we wait for the storm to break." He spoke before she had a chance to, the woman closed her jaw and stared at him in brief surprise for a moment before her expression shifted into a more annoyed one.

"W-"

"Why not? Because the cover of darkness and the storm will keep the wyverns away from us." He explained, then noticed something flash through her eyes "And you know this as well, don't you?"

"...It won't stop any dragons that arrive-"

"True. But It will be just dragons." Torin tilted his head "And you were the one who boasted of bringing a Dragon Slayer? While we Spirits handle the dragons, the people have ample opportunity to make distance from our battle. They could not do so if we were attacked by wyverns and dragons, not without splitting our forces up dangerously thin."

Torin seemingly looked her up and down before he exhaled "I did not make such decisions on a whim. Much thought went into them and while your concerns are genuine, they must be put to rest else we shall all suffer for it."

Olga rolled her jaw at the man as she continued to work up some other form of argument before she crossed her arms and looked away in a huff.

"If that is all you wished to discuss, then we are done here." Torin nodded his head, walking past her but not before pausing by her side "One more thing of note. I am perfectly willing to entertain any suggestions or concerns that you have…But do not dare speak to me with such blatant disrespect ever again." he looked down at her from the corner of his vision "Especially not in front of the people of Ribe."

With his message delivered, he turned away from her and resumed his exit from the building. Stepping around the large Berserker and back out into the open. Leaving the Director behind.

The woman clenched her hands into fists.

The least he could have done was been unreasonable so she had something to complain about, as it stood the only thing she could get mad about was that she hadn't thought of those points instead. Which just went further into her mind about how a mere Servant probably thought himself her better.

Torin closed the door behind him, then paused as he found the black knight that had arrived with the group standing before him.

"You heard then?" Torin grunted as he looked down at the slightly shorter knight.

Tarkus nodded once.

"I see." Torin hummed in response, crossing his arms over his chest "Do you have issue with my words?"

Tarkus remained silent for a few moments before he shook his head silently.

"At least you understand that much." The Druid grunted once more before he shifted his attention away from the knight and strode further towards the growing caravan.

Tarkus watched the man depart, silently staring at the back of the retreating Servant before he heard the door in front of him click once again. Turning his head towards it, he watched as the Director stepped out of it and back into the chill. The woman briefly paused as she saw the Servant standing in front of her.

Her expression cycled from surprise to confusion then finally to something more resigned.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the knight and looking him up and down. Tarkus shifted in his posture, teetering from side to side as he debated how best to ask the question.

Eventually, he mustered up the courage to ask something that he himself wasn't sure how she was going to react to "Miss Marie said that she wanted to ask about using her carriage to transport some of the injured and children." he explained to her "But that would mean we would have to walk."

"Through the icy snow storm and below twenty degree temperatures?" The woman replied with a dry voice as her arms crossed over her chest, she stared at the knight for several seconds in silence as his helmet slowly started to shift away from her.

"...Yes, fine, fine…" Olga sighed, reaching up and pinching the bridge of her nose and hiding away her expression. "We can't have the wounded and children being dragged along behind us, they'd end up slowing us down anyway and considering we're supposed to be making a swift exit."

She looked back up to see Tarkus had perked up considerably, she didn't need x-ray vision or for the knight to remove his helmet to see the wide smile upon his face. He practically radiated pure enthusiasm when he heard her answer.

"Don't look so pleased!" She snapped at him, causing him to flinch slightly. "That's just common sense and if we're going to be doing this, we might as well ensure as few casualties as possible."

"Okay." Tarkus nodded his head towards her, briefly debating what else he would need to say before he added on "I'll tell Miss Marie the good news, thanks Miss Animuspear!"

"Animusphere." She corrected with a touch of heat in her voice, giving the knight a side-eyed glare for a split second before she turned away from him in a huff. Tarkus remained silent as he nodded his head.

"R-right…" He called out to her "Sorry! I'll try and remember it from now on!"

"Just call me Master idiot!" She snapped back to him from over her shoulder as she marched away.

Tarkus lowered his arm back to his side and remained silent for a moment before he shrugged "I'll get the hang of it." he decided to himself, looking left and right before he wandered back the way he had come, eager to tell Miss Marie the good news regarding her carriage.

It was nearly a full two hours before they were preparing themselves to be underway.

Torin stood at the head of the caravan with a rope tied around his waist, the man passed it to the next person down "Tie this around you and then hand it further down. We can't risk lighting up torches in the storm and even if we did, the wind would put them out swiftly before they could be of any use."

He raised his voice slightly higher "I shall lead up on the path south. If we are attacked then Seidr will alert us with his magics-"

"Or just scream really loud." Cu called out "And thrash around if a wyvern grabs hold of you, going out while fighting a dragon will make for one heck of a story when you end up in Valhalla."

That got a few weak chuckles from the group and a dull stare from Torin.

"...Or that." He allowed with a nod of the head "We shall move as far as we can in the storm and then take rest when it breaks. After we are suitably well rested and if I am comfortable there is no sign of further danger, we will renew our journey. Understand?"

He got a response from the caravan, a legion of affirmations to him which caused him to nod his head and turn to his side and look down at the Director "You are free to join your other compatriots-"

"I'm not going to just let someone else carry my weight." The woman cut him off sharply, pointedly ignoring the fact that she was being flanked by Tarkus who was carrying one of the heaviest loads out of all of them, only beat by Stahl who - tied to his hips - had several sleighs full of wounded with almost a dozen runes of protection carved into them to safeguard them from the harsh elements.

Torin just stared at her in silence before he gave a long sigh and shook his head. The only thing worse than someone who had no experience in leadership trying to lead, was someone who had no experience in leadership forcing themselves into terrible situations in an effort to prove that they had the capacity for leadership.

Either way, he'd have to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't make any brash calls. Not just for her own sake, but for the sake of the people he was trying to safeguard.

"Prepare to move out!" Torin called out at the top of his lungs, bringing his axe into existence and waving it over the top of his head in a circular motion several times before he slammed it down into the snow, turning towards the walls he extended his hand "Brace for the winds." he warned further "The moment this wall comes down, we shall experience the elements in full."

They would be barely able to see as was and the rope tied around their waists would be just as much their method of movement as it would be a safety line.

"O' Tree, sýndu slóðina!" He called out, the branches that surrounded their settlement reverberated as the glowing runes around them started to fizzle and sputter, the defensive barrier came down in moments and the walls split apart.

The storm fell upon them in an instant, Olga had brought down her goggles and raised her mask and even with all that she still had to raise her hand to brace herself against the sudden storm force winds that crashed into her. Worse was the accompaniment of the snow - or rather, the ice - that fell upon them in a fury.

Torin showed no indication that he so much as registered the sudden shift in climate as he started to move, his head boots rising from the snow and stepping forwards, his left hand fell to the rope at his waist and gripped tightly around it as he started to pull, the sudden jolt in the line encouraged others to follow him along.

The caravan had officially begun their trek through the snow and ice.

AN: A little later than normal but I was taking a short holiday break.

Back now so we're resuming operations.