Chapter 5 - A Cold Reception
"It's this way, quickly!" Nova said as he ran through the vast, empty streets of the abandoned city's remnants. As he ran, he frantically looked around, examining each building, nook, and cranny with unrelenting focus.
"Yes, I'm trying… but…" the girl behind him replied, her voice heaving as she struggled to keep up while her legs continued to burn. Please… please... can we… take a break?"
"...fine, but it'll have to be quick," Nova said hesitantly before hurriedly scanning the surrounding area. "Quickly, in here." He said, ducking into a small alleyway between crumbling buildings.
With a sense of overflowing joy and relief, the girl gladly followed his lead. The moment that she was safely inside and covered from view, she couldn't help placing her hands on her knees whilst she stood, panting heavily in exhaustion.
"T-thank you…" She said between pants.
"No, I'm sorry… I forgot to account for the fact that you need to catch your breath…" Nova replied with a sigh of his own, lowering his head in shame at his blunder. "And this isn't a complete break. I'm still hoping to continue walking through here - if you can, that is."
"Yes… I can do that much, at least, " she said, managing to push herself to stand tall once more. Yet her face remained flushed red from the blood pumping through her. "But can I ask why it's so important that we have to rush?"
"It's not so much about rushing…" Nova replied in a low, awkward voice, turning around to continue walking through the ally. "It's about not being followed or drawing attention to where we're going. We cannot bring the fighting factions there."
"Are they… not peaceful because they're left alone?" She asked, her hesitant voice laced with dread as she brought herself to follow along, joining him at his side.
"No, it's because they're hiding." Nova quickly answered with a shake of his head. "If the others learn of their whereabouts… let's just say they wouldn't be left alone…"
"I see…" The girl said, her features drooping with her sombre tones.
"Even their peace is limited still. The fighting still finds them inevitably after enough time, and they have to find a new place to hide. Very few people go outside that community for the sake of better preserving their sanctuary. In fact, I'm one of the scarce few from the outside allowed to visit them so long as I'm careful."
"You mean they don't allow outsiders?" She worriedly asked, looking up in concern. "Is it possible to make exceptions?"
"Well, that's what I'm in the middle of… please bear in mind all of my reputation with them is at stake with bringing you in," Nova said with another tired sigh as they rounded a corner before he briefly gripped his companion's wrist to pull her in the right direction of yet another twist in their path.
"Of course, I don't mean to bring them any trouble! I wish to see others who want to be free of the fighting, but I have no plans for anything else."
"I hoped so because we're getting close," Nova replied, the two of them reaching the end of the ally before long, where he stopped his companion with an outstretched arm.
Slowly and carefully, he peeked out from their cover. Intently scanning the outstretched street, the crumbling buildings from their windows and cracks to their roofs. Straining his ears, there was nothing to hear but the faint gust preventing utter silence.
No noise, no movement, no trace of life was evident in the long-dead town.
With a quick gesture, he signalled to his associate to follow as he took the first step out of cover. As she followed, they took one cautious step one after another, all whilst frantically looking up, down, and all around their surroundings.
Suddenly making up his mind, Nova broke into a silent dash across the street. Darting forward and leaving his ally, struggling to keep up as she tried her best to keep up. She didn't hesitate when Nova held open a large, thick, rusted steel double door for her, hastily ushering her inside the half-destroyed concrete structure whilst remaining vigilantly on guard.
The moment that she entered the building, he swung the door closed as quickly as he could, stopping just shy of it slamming. Only then did he carefully close the door in an attempt to prevent as much noise as possible, cringing under the creaking sound that it still produced.
"That was a bit much… we should hurry," Nova murmured, already rushing into the room as She could only watch.
With a brief flash from his core, a sprew of matching royal blue energy sprung forth, enveloping his form in a gentle, flame-like shimmer as he power-walked towards a large piece of rubble. Wordlessly, he grabbed hold of it, steadily pushing it backwards with ease into a larger pile.
Relinquishing his power-up at the same time, he immediately spun around to return to where the rubble had been resting. Crouching down and brushing away the dust on the floor quickly revealed a small, 9-pointed star pattern to Nova's satisfaction.
Putting a finger to his lips, his companion silently nodded in understanding before he turned back to the floor.
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.
Nova knocked on it rhythmically, each one resounding through the silent atmosphere that haunted them as they waited and waited.
For what was no more than a few moments, it felt like an eternity as the pair remained tense and alert, desperately waiting for a response.
And then, it happened.
A heavy CLINK filled the room, followed by the faint shifting of heavy metals before at least the ground beneath Nova's feet began to shift. Dust began to stir as a square slab of concrete began to rise up out of the floor whilst Nova hastily stepped off, merely watching alongside his compatriot, who eyed it with a sense of nervousness.
"What are you doing, bringing someone else along?" A low, judgemental voice asked as a singular set of eyes could be seen in the darkness of the opening entrance.
"I swear it, she's not a bad person. She's a Harmony Pathstrider from another world. She just wants peace." Nova curtly and seriously answered.
"What is someone like that doing here? What is any otherworlder doing here?" The person said, practically glaring incredulously at the the troubled Pathstrider.
"She wants the war to stop, but she's not going to do anything that'll bring it here. I'll make sure of it. Just like all my other efforts." Nova said, his tone unwavering and confident as he locked eyes with the covered individual.
"Humph…" The gatekeeper grumbled in response. "Fine, but Manactus will be talking with you. Get in quick."
"Thank you very much." The Otherworlder hastily spoke, already giving a curt bow to whoever was managing the entrance as Nova walked over to help lift up the door.
With one big heave from the two, the hefty trapdoor finally lifted up, giving way to the drop beneath. "Ladies first," Nova spoke, still holding up the heavy trapdoor that now displayed an intense lock system.
"Right, thank you." She thanked him once more, quickly slipping past him and lowering herself into the hole as Nova soon followed after - the heavy trapdoor locking the moment it lowered back into the ground once more.
With it closed, silence once more hung in the air. The world still.
But yet not private, as a single pair of prying eyes scuffled away into the shadows…
Freezing winds howled all around Nova as he continued to push through a frozen wasteland, a glimmer of light beginning to breach through from the heavens above. "I've been out here too long…" Nova mumbled to himself, his body devoid of warmth as he held onto himself, yet he never shivered.
He didn't know how much time had passed. He had only kept pushing on to find the conman that was his objective amongst the snow, even despite his doubts that the Eternal Freeze had given rise to.
'Now that I think about it… without the blessings of trailblaze, could a human survive these temperatures for long? Even the tricks of Masked Fool wouldn't help here…' He thought to himself, still intently looking around, hoping for anything out of the ordinary, but the storm made it impossible to see anything but white.
'But if that's the case… then where's Sampo? I can't be that something's happened to him, right?' He quickly shook off the thought and glum feeling that had accompanied it, steeling himself as he looked ahead of himself.
"There's no time to waste. It was only supposed to be a quick check." He said as azure flames spewed from the soles of his shoes, shooting him forward as he glided across the snow with velocity.
With ease, he skated across the landscape. Nimbly avoiding whatever Fragmetum monsters he saw before they could even notice him, he raced through the storm. The quickly approaching sight of the camp brought a small smile to his face as a surge of relief filled him - but it didn't last long.
"Wait, isn't that?" Nova thought aloud, squinting at the tall figure standing next to Lynx's tent. "Oh~ no…" he said, scrunting his face up in worry as a pit began to form in his stomach.
The way that their gaze followed his fast-moving figure made it obvious that he had already been spotted, but it wouldn't have changed his fate either way. Despite the sudden weight that formed in his feet, he continued to press on, darting up a slope and skidding to a stop just before a scowling Dan Heng.
"What did you think you were doing?" Dan Heng asked, crossing his arms, his voice scathing.
"Sorry, I get it, I get it! I just…" Nova immediately replied, unable to face the fuming Dan Heng and instead opting to look at the ground in shame. "I saw something in the distance - I thought we were being watched! I thought that it would just be a quick check, but before I knew it, I got lost…"
"Mm? What did you see?" His features relaxed slightly.
"Well, it looked like a person. It wasn't quite like that caveman description that Lynx gave yesterday, either. I know that some of the Fragmentum Monsters here are rather humanoid, but I would have thought that I would have caught up to it in no time if that was the case… and then the storm…"
"I see, do you think it was watching us?" Dan Heng continued, remaining completely focused on Nova, who forced himself to look him back in the eye.
"Maybe. It was pretty still until I stood up after noticing it. Then it began to escape into the storm, running away." Nova fibbed, taking slow and steady breaths to maintain his calmness.
"You should have still warned us before you took off. Even if Lynx had laid some traps, had we been attacked whilst we were resting…" Dan Heng replied with a firm shake of his head before looking up to the sky to Nova's confusion. "But whilst you were out there, did you happen to notice anything unusual about the Fragmentum?"
"Mm? Well… it kept getting colder," Nova admitted, looking back at the Snow Plains with a forlorn expression. "And the air here… like all Fragmemtums, you can feel it charged with the energy of Destruction from the Stellaron, but it just feels thicker here…"
"I see. The temperature has definitely fallen further since before. It's the reason that I awoke not that long ago." Dan Heng commented, remaining deep in thought.
"Is it something unusual? Personally, I haven't delved into too many Fragmentums before…" Nova worriedly asked as Dan Heng shook his head in response.
"Not necessarily. The Eternal Freeze is most likely the product of the Stellaron Disaster, so fluctuations of the Stellaron could be the cause. They aren't all quite the same after all." Dan Heng answered as Nova could only hum in response, hesitantly nodding his head in acceptance.
"Why is it s-s-so c-cold!" March's voice suddenly rang out, snapping the two from the conversation to notice her emerging from the tent. "H-how are you t-t-two ok with this?!" she asked, slowly approaching the pair with cloudy breaths that emerged from her chattering teeth.
"Whoa! H-how long have you b-been out here Dan Heng?" Caelus exclaimed, the cold air snapping him awake as he instantly clung to himself, rubbing his arms in a desperate attempt for warmth.
"I felt it was getting colder, but I didn't think it got that bad…" Nova commented, his brows creasing with worry. "Wait, but if they're like that, then…" he continued, looking back to Dan Heng incredibly before a dawn of understanding washed over him.
'He's not coping…' Nova thought to himself in shock. It was subtle, but the more he focused on the stoic man, the clearer the subtle movements became.
Whilst his arms were crossed perhaps initially from his previous disapproval of Nova's actions, he still tightly held himself in an attempt to stifle his shivers. Despite the howling, icy wind, he remained calm and unflinching, unlike their companions.
'I wonder how long he's been waiting out here like that because of me…' Nova thought, clenching a fist as frustration and guilt welled up within him.
"You guys are struggling too much, right? The Trailblaze is still enough, right?" he asked, his gaze flickering between them with a stern look.
"Y-yeah… We'll m-make it to Belobog! D-d-don't worry about it!" March stuttered back, yet her inability to control her shivering body stripped her words of any confidence they could instil.
"You clearly can't! Y-your reaching your l-limits!" Lynx shouted as she trodded over, several large bags on her back with a soft amber light emerging from her clothes. "Y-you need to take these b-before you f-freeze! Just keep them in your c-clothes!"
Immediately, she had reached into one of the bags on her back, retrieving and thrusting out numerous small orb-shaped contractions that held glowing ore at their core.
"They're small heaters powered by geomarrow ingots! T-they might be your only chance of m-making it through the E-Eternal Freeze!" She proclaimed, forcing them into the Nameless's chests, her eyes panicked and filled with her desperate pleas.
"Very well, thank you very much for these." Dan Heng replied, quickly taking two for himself and tucking them into his coat.
"Are you sure? Are you okay, Lynx?" Caelus asked, relief already seeping into his voice as he accepted two himself whilst March snatched up hers greedily, stuffing them into her attire frantically.
"Y-yes, I've got some o-of my o-own, but…" Lynx replied, unable to help but look out across the snow plains with a fearful look. "T-There isn't any d-documented occurrence o-of the Eternal F-Freeze behaving like this… it's u-usually a c-constant temperature!"
"So something's changed…" Nova noted, turning around to share a concerned look with the rest of his companions.
"We need to get to Belobog first. Considering the nature of the falling temperature we might not last long otherwise." Dan Heng replied as everyone nodded in agreement.
"Y-yes, the heaters that I g-gave you… they weren't d-designed to l-last long… we need to hurry! Please follow me!" Lynx said, already fiercely pushing on through the snow as she clung to her coat as the trailblazers ensured they kept up with her efforts.
"About that!" Nova hastily called out, resulting in everyone turning back in confusion as they saw his grim look. "I've already had a look at what it's like out there and… we're going to need to be more than a bit careful."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" March asked first as worried creased her brows…
"Now!" Dan Heng commanded, the group instantly responding to him as they darted through a large clearing, moving from one snowy boulder to the next.
As they did so, March and Lynx could only wince with each step they all took, the crunching sound of the packed snow beneath their feat sounding deafeningly loud despite the violent storm. Only when they were safely behind cover again did Caelus and Dan Heng dare to peek around the rock.
"Why are there so many of them?" Caelus asked, his eyes fixed on a massive pack of Fragmentum Monsters in disbelief. "Are Fragmentums usually this dangerous?"
"No, there is something wrong here. It should be noted that this Fragmentum has been growing for the last 700 years. However, it was far from this severe yesterday." Dan Heng answered, drawing back behind cover content that they had evaded detection.
"D-do you know of anything that would c-cause a Fragmentum to worsen so quickly?" Lynx worriedly asked through chattering teeth.
"No, but here's another question - how are you holding up? The cold is clearly getting to you too much!" Nova replied, moving closer as he crouched beside her and closely inspected her face.
"Yeah, Nova's right! You're turning blue!" March pointed out with a quivering look.
"I-I-I'll be f-fine…" Lynx answered, turning away from the pair yet it didn't do anything to hide her violently shivering and frail form. Despite her words, the distinct lack of rosiness from her cheeks replaced by blue lips that wouldn't stay still made it all too evident of her suffering. "B-Belobog shouldn't b-be too f-far now… I'll be g-good then."
"Oh yeah sure, and I'm as human as I look…" Nova snapped back at her with a disgruntled expression.
"Nova was harsh, but he's right. You're clearly struggling." Dan Heng commented, already beginning to remove his coat but Nova was quicker.
"Keep yours too. I'm the one unable to freeze, you know?" He quipped, throwing his coat over Lynx's short figure. Its length was practically equal to her height as its tailings were almost touching the floor.
"T-Thank y-you…" Lynx replied, already desperately snuggling into what lingering warmth it offered. "W-we s-s-should continue n-now."
"You said that it was close, right? Just in this direction?" Caelus asked, pointing in a direction that was beginning to be sheltered by rugged cliff sides on either side.
"Y-yes… once w-we make it t-through that valley… Y-you s-should be able to s-s-see Belobog…" Lynx replied with a small nod that was almost obscured by the fluff of her lent coat's collar.
"Great, then let's rush. The sooner the better." Nova said.
"I understand how are feeling but we can't rush. We'll be in trouble if we draw attention." Dan Heng reminded them, as the group nodded in response.
"We'd be overrun in no time if we didn't…" Caelus noted as he looked around the rock once more, yet only a moment later instantly withdrew in a panic. "I think we should move soon…"
"I hope you didn't just give us away!" March exclaimed, her voice hushed.
"March." Dan Heng calmly spoke, interrupting her and gaining their attention. "We'll rush and keep to one of the valley's walls. Hopefully keeping low and using crevices will be enough."
"Right, I'll be sure to help you Lynx!" March added on, quickly rushing to the short girl's side as the guys braced themselves to run. "I can't believe that it's come to this though… I wonder why so many have begun to appear."
"That's a question for later, March, but now…" Dan Heng said, his fading voice filling everyone with anticipation as they readied themselves. "Go!"
The moment that he exclaimed the command, they all immediately shot forward, doing their best to dash through the thick snow and raging tempest. Shielding themselves with their arms as they pushed through, only Nova and Caelus took a moment to steal a glance at the monsters in the distance.
Despite the snowstorm that should have impaired their vision, the gathering of Fragmentum creatures easily managed to stand out. A general glowing hue of blue and red lay in the distance as rough outlines of their familiar shapes could still be made out amongst the snow and yet despite their previously trivial nature they couldn't help but shiver at the prospect of them.
Unlike the smaller-sized group, they were clearly in the tens, maybe even hundreds. They continued to shift around, mooching across the snow plains completely undisturbed by the torrential winds and biting cold that surrounded them. A veritable army that thrived in the Stellaron-formed environment…
"Quickly, there!" Nova quietly exclaimed, pointing a finger as he took charge running ahead of the group and towards a crack in the cliffside. They all dived for the precious little cover that it offered without hesitation, huddling together in the small space as they caught their breaths.
"We weren't spotted," Nova commented, glancing around before turning back to the group. "But it's also not going to get any easier."
"I could imagine such, we'll have to be careful and keep moving along the wall at this rate." Dan Heng replied.
"T-t-that's n-not good…" Lynx chattered, her voice barely above a whisper as March clung to her, hugging her into her chest in an attempt to share her warmth. "I-f-f they g-g-get too m-much closer t-then they'll b-be near B-Belobo-g-g."
"Does Belobog not have any defences?" Dan Heng queried as Lynx gave a small shaky nod.
"Y-yes… w-w-we h-have the Silvermane G-guards… they'll b-b-be fighting and m-mainainting the d-d-defence…" Lynx answered. "But i-if t-t-too many monsters are t-too close… they w-won't be a-a-able to risk o-opening up…"
"Then we have to sneak past until the end. How are we going to do that?" Caelus wondered aloud.
"Yeah, at this rate it looks like we're going to have to fight or lead away at least some of them…" March commented as Dan Heng delved back into thought.
"But we don't have time for that, look at Lynx! She's close to freezing and can't last any longer!" Nova blurted out, frantically gesturing at the fading girl who was struggling to stand without March's support.
"Nova, Caelus." Dan Heng spoke up, his serious tone and piercing eyes instantly earning their own. "I already know what March and I are capable of, but you two remain rather new to us. Can you please tell us if you believe you have any abilities to help us?"
"Um… not really… I could go in and fight anything with my bat, however." Caelus replied, scratching the back of his head with sombre eyes, knowing that his offers were hardly anything to change the situation.
"Well, I wasn't kidding to March when I said I currently have enough power to blow up the Herta Space Station…" Nova noted, instantly sparking shock and hope in all his companions. "But that would likely require all the energy that I have… unless I can recover again I'll run out and die."
"P-p-please d-don't do t-t-that…" Lynx uttered with a horrified look.
"I agree, at least until we can find a way for you to recuperate your strength, you should off on using large portions of energy. We have no idea how long we will be here after all." Dan Heng added on, resulting in silence as they got back to considering their options.
"But we'll have to use some of it…" Nova eventually spoke up in a low voice, lifting his face from the ground. "If I take Lynx to Belobog myself taking a different path, do you guys think you could work something out for yourselves taking this path?"
"But taking another route would take even longer wouldn't it? I thought we couldn't afford that!" March pointed out but Nova calmly shook his head in denial.
"If it were one of you it wouldn't be a good choice. But Dan Heng has already seen how quickly I can move here still if I use a bit of energy. Lynx just has to tell me where to go and I'll ensure I'll get there faster than you guys can work something out here with stealth. Once I arrive and deliver Lynx, I can come back to help you guys as well if you don't arrive within a certain amount of time."
"Well… that does sound like it works… how fast is he Dan Heng?" March asked, turning to the vanguard who was still in thought about the proposed plan.
"I do know what Nova is talking about, and if he says he can do it, then I trust him." He replied, firmly looking Nova in the eyes. "March, Caelus, we can continue to make our way through the valley, but if possible, we might be able to set a trap."
"A trap?" Caelus parroted, taking a glance further down the valley for any clues as to what his friend was thinking. "There isn't really much here though…"
"Lynx, do you think it would be plausible to cause a rockslide or avalanche here?" Dan Heng asked the shivering girl who lowered her head in thought.
"Y-y-yes… c-certain parts of the e-eviro-m-ment are u-unstable…. You c-could exploit those p-p-points." She soon replied. "U-u-usually I-I would say no b-but m-maybe Belobog might n-need this path c-c-cut off to help its defence…"
"So we're just going to crush them all to be let into Belobog?" March said agasp whilst Caelus punched his open palm.
"Great! I'll destroy anything you tell me to!" He said with a triumphant look, his pupils burning with a mischievous motivation.
"Good. Nova, make sure that you inform us when you arrive at Belobog. We'll inform you if we need assistance or if we'll meet you there." Dan Heng said, turning back to the Krystalvilian who was in the middle of accepting the shivering Lynx from March in his arms.
"Got it," Nova replied with a nod before looking down at Lynx. "I'll be sure to make this quick. I'd say hold on but you might be struggling with that."
"T-Thank y-y-you." Lynx replied, gentling clinging to him with what strength she could still muster.
"We're off then. Good luck and see you soon." Nova said to the trio who nodded back in response.
"And the same to you too! Don't do anything reckless!" March proclaimed just as sparkling flames began to emergy and lick around Nova's legs, spurring him forward as he rocketed out of cover and back the way they had just come…
"Which way?" Nova asked as he continued to skate across the snow plains, not slowing down for anything as he instead raced past before anything had a chance of catching them.
"L-l-left… just between t-those two s-small h-hills." Lynx replied, wincing at the painful wind biting at her little exposed skin, prompting her to try and bury herself in her borrowed coat. "A-after t-that… there should b-be a s-small spiralling p-path u-u-up a m-mountain…"
"Got it, we'll be slipping past more unfriendlies." Nova calmly replied, pressing on as he smoothly glided into a large bent towards his new goal.
As he continued to skate, his body remained tense as he spurred himself on, trying to push himself onwards despite the conscious choice to limit his output. Despite his blessings of the trailblaze and inhuman nature, the blistering cold still made him almost numb to the world.
'And if this is what I'm going through, then what could Lynx possibly be suffering?' He thought to himself, using his focused determination as a mask.
Her breaths were slow. Her pulse was weak. Colour had drained from her face as she could hardly keep her eyes open. Whilst it had been too long for him to remember all the details of symptoms and consequences due to the cold - Nova didn't need it to tell Lynx was continuing to fade fast.
Spotting the spiralling path, Nova paid no heed to the swarm of monsters as he blitzed straight through them with an unyielding drive. As he cut through, many of them were knocked from their feet as snow blew into their faces but he never slowed down.
Each stride of his foot glided smoothly across the ground despite its uneven nature, rapidly carrying them up the mountainside. In minutes they reached the peak, the grand city of Belobog stretching out before them as they came to a stop yet even that failed to lighten Nova's spirits.
"C-c-can y-you… s-see the e-enter-rance?" Lynx uttered, shifting her gaze towards the familiar sight.
"No, but I can spot people." Nova quickly replied, turning to face the direction of a crowd of armoured people for Lynx to see.
"Oh!" She softly said, her body jolting as her eyes widened slightly. "T-t-they're t-the Silverm-mane G-guards! T-They'll help!"
"Already on it," Nova replied, spurring back into action as he shot off once more racing down the mountain towards the nearest group.
"I can't believe that the Eternal Freeze has gotten like this…" One halberd-bearing soldier said as he and his group continued to trudge through thick snow, their helmets shielding their faces from the torrential onpour of the blizzard around them.
"I don't want to upset Capin Gepard but… I don't know how we could be expected to find his sis out here without'a clue, never mind the demons responsible for this." Another deeper-voiced guard sighed as he shook his head in disbelief.
"We can't be expected to search much further than this, can we? I don't know how much longer the Geomarrow's gonna last… honestly, no matter how much of an expert she is, I don't see how the Capin's lil' sis could survive this… She's likely-"
"I wouldn't finish that thought, Harold." A third feminine guard cut in, their glare being felt by Harold despite the helmet that covered it. "Captain Gepard would not appreciate hearing that… but maybe we can hope that those accused demons did themselves in with this act."
"No, that won't do, Scarlet." The first guard cut in.
"Hemsworth?" Harold questioned, the two guards glancing at their coworker in confusion.
"The Supreme Guardian said she wanted them before her, dead or alive." Hemsworth continued, almost with a growl as he refused to face his friends. "She won't rest until she has confirmation that the evildoers who did this to us are gone. But if they're still alive…" He spoke, his voice growing ever heated.
"Then just maybe they can be… 'convinced' to reverse it." Scarlet pondered aloud, lifting a finger to her chin. "At the very least, they should pay for this!"
"Qilboth bless the Supreme Guardian, though. It's incredible that she knew what to do so quickly…" Harold spoke up again, his admiration washing away the heated atmosphere that burned despite the endless cold.
"But of course, it's the Supreme Guardian we're talking about. Qilboth's chosen." Scarlet replied like it was a fact.
"So you think that she's right that we'll find them soon? She said they were coming to Belobog next…" Harold pointed out.
"And find them we will. If not us, someone else from the Silvermane Guards! We can't let devils like that into the city!" Hemsworth declared, pounding the end of his halberd into the ground. "Although I think we're only searching this far out because of the Captain's hopes…"
"Can't blame 'im, although I still don't think that-" Harold began to speak until the sudden sound of shifting snow cut him off as a spray of white suddenly rose up and sprayed down on the three.
"What the hell!" Scarlet exclaimed, shielding herself from the sudden spray with her arms only to recoil in shock from what she saw after.
"She's freezing and needs help! Immediately!" Nova desperately cried out to the three guards the moment he skidded to a complete stop, gesturing down at the shivering, bundled-up girl in his arms.
For a few moments, the guards remained silent, slowly sharing a glance in stunned disbelief.
"What is that reaction about? She's dying! She needs to get back to Belobog immediately! What's the quickest way?!" Nova continued to shout at them frantically in response to their silence, only to abruptly hold his tongue in shock moments later.
"Hand her over, Devil! And submit yourself for arrest and questioning to the Silvermane Guards! Or else you shall be slain where you stand!" Hemsworth shouted, his voice laced with malice as the three guards immediately pointed the tips of their weapons at him.
"W-what?!" Nova uttered in shock whilst he could feel Lynx stare in shock at the outcome. "Devil? What the hell is this for? You guys haven't even seen me before why would you-"
"Silence! Hand her over and submit yourself, or perish!" Hemsworth interrupted again, leaving Nova's mind racing a million miles per second in his bewilderment of the situation.
"I-it's… n-not like t-that… h-he's not…" Lynx weakly muttered but her breath went unheard by the three guards as the strong winds stole it away.
"Go and fetch Captain Gepard! I'll keep IT here!" Hemsworth ordered without looking away.
"Right!" Harold immediately answered, turning on his feet and dashing back the way they had come as quickly as he could. "Captain! Captain Gepard!" He continued to shout out, his voice fading as he vanished into the distance.
"Lower her!" Hemsworth continued to order as he and Scarlet steadily pressed closer.
'Dam it… but being arrested as soon as we arrive at Belobog? Isn't that something like the-' Nova thought to himself before cutting off the thought. 'It better be, because we don't have any options.'
"Lynx… for now a lot of things are going to happen quickly and I need you to trust me and go along with it. Please!" Nova pleaded under his breath to the weak blond in his arms who could only look up in confusion.
"O-okay…" She uttered with a small nod, the sole thing that managed to bring a genuine smile to his face the whole day.
"Okay then…" Nova said to himself, taking a deep breath as he readied himself.
"Put her down! Now!" Scarlet now ordered, thrusting her halberd forward slightly but instead of a threat, Nova took it as his cue.
In a split second, he bolted forward, kicking the outthrust halberd out of the way with ease as he moved. With Scarlet's inability to keep her grip, it left her hands and flew through the air leaving her unguarded for the demon flying right at her.
All whilst keeping Lynx in his arms, he rotated his body to land a spinning back kick into the guard's face - launching her back into the snow unconscious from the sudden, powerful blow whilst he springboarded towards her partner.
Hemsworth could barely turn to face his target before he felt himself receiving a solid blow in the back of the head. With a hefty thud, his face was driven forward and down into the deep snow where he lay only occasionally twitching.
"Right, now I've given them an actual reason to arrest me…" Nova said with a huff, neatly landing on the ground again and placing Lynx down on Hemsworth's backside. "I'll explain in detail later but please, I need to hide yet get into Belobog. I'll pack my stuff into your bag and hide in your pocket. When your brother comes, please just pretend that I escaped into the Snow Plains somewhere! Act like you don't know me at all!"
"B-b-but I-i'm sure t-that-" Lynx tried to talk with a horrified look but Nova only shook his head in response, already removing and stuffing his gear into one of her bags.
"We can always tell them later, but we can't take back doing so. Please Lynx!" Nova pleaded once more, his eyes filled with his bubbling desperation as he turned back to her.
"O-o-kay t-then…" She gently replied.
"Thank you. Truly." Nova said, his voice unable to stress his overabundant feelings anymore as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, thick card-shaped device.
Without the faintest action from him, the device shone with a small slight that quickly illuminated his clothes and belongings in the same way. The next moment they had been sucked into the small device as Nova allowed azure flames to cover him instead before hastily packing the device into Lynx's bag.
"I hope that they won't notice it underneath all your other stuff," Nova murmured, swiftly using his only remaining belonging - his phone.
"B-but… w-where d-d-did it g-go? A-and what ab-bout y-you?" Lynx questioned Nova who was already hammering a message into his phone.
"The card-shaped thing was called a Dimensional Pocket. In short, really smart people said what if we could carry everything without actually carrying it and messed with dimensions." Nova hastily explained, not peeling his eyes away from the message he was writing. "A rich girl gave me that one and everything I own which is now inside it. Wait… that doesn't sound the best…"
The second that he was done with his message, he wasted no time in turning his phone off. "I'll explain as much as you want later, but for now I need to hide." He added on, finally stuffing his phone into Lynx's bag.
"And it has a simple answer! I'll be in your pocket." He answered as if it was the simplest thing in the world before vanishing in a quick flash. His existence was replaced with nothing more than a familiar small diamond-shaped crystal that plopped onto her shivering form.
"Y-you… r-r-really are just a c-c-crystal…" Lynx commented, picking up the glowing, warm crystal with a fascinated look.
"One that can think, talk and more," Nova replied, his voice echoing through the air now. "But please, put me in a pocket quickly and try following where the-"
"Lynx! Lynx!" Another voice abruptly called out from the distance, shocking the girl into motion.
Hastily stuffing Nova into one of her few innermost pockets, she did her best to stand up despite the weight of her bag fighting against her tired, dizzy body. She could barely take a few steps by herself before she felt herself stumbling slightly as she fell into another's arms.
"Lynx!" A relieved, tall blond man uttered her name, tightly hugging her form as if she were the most precious treasure in the world. "Are you ok? We'll get you immediately! Thank goodness we found you!"
"I-i'm… okay, G-gepard…"
"Captain! There was one of the demons here! It was carrying her!" Harold spoke, his voice at attention as he hastily scanned around to find nothing. "It must have fled! But why would it do so after successfully killing our men? And to leave your sister be?"
"They're not dead, just unconscious," Gepard said, using a spare arm to check the pulse of a resting Hemsworth, "Lynx, can you tell us anything that happened?"
"Um…" Lynx hesitated, briefly casting her gaze down towards the pocket she had placed Nova feeling his warm presence. "T-the… devil… t-tried to t-t-take me to B-belobog… but feld after b-b-being c-confronted and h-hearing you c-c-coming… I-i-t found me in the m-middle of t-the S-snow Plains…"
"The demon… it must have planned to use you to gain access to Belobog. Either as a trade or an act. I can't believe they would use you this way!" Gepard cursed as he tightly hugged Lynx to his body once more. "I can't express how glad I am that we reached you just in time…"
Yet his sister didn't so much stir in response, without a word or the faintest resistance to his tight grip.
"Lynx? Lynx!" Gepard called out, pulling her back slightly as he gently shook her for any response. "She's unconscious… we must all pull back closer to Belobog immediately! I want Lynx taken to the Landau Estate immediately, and make sure to call Dr. Natasha!" He proclaimed, hastily standing up and carrying his sister in his arms.
'Natasha? But isn't she in the Underworld?' Nova thought to himself in confusion, taking care to not give voice to them.
"Yes Captain, but… what about the avalanche report? And the demons out in the Snow Plains?" Another guard hurrily pointed out but Gepard could only firmly shake his head in response.
"No, with the Eternal Freeze as it is, our Geomarrow is running out and we can't survive without it. Returning now is a must. We have also secured information that the demons are indeed trying to reach Belobog, securing the defence and catching them will be easier by not needing to cover a larger area." Gepard commanded, facing his troops with a firm expression.
"Spread the orders to the rest of the division, I shall be bringing my sister as far as the main gate." He continued as the few guards with him immediately saluted in response before hurrying to carry out their orders.
As he walked, Gepard couldn't help but protectively brace his sister with a solum yet determined fire blazing in his eyes - completely unaware of the stowaway he carried…
"I can't believe that actually worked!" March cheered as she, Caelus and Dan Heng stood back, admiring their work.
As they stood in the middle of the valley, no longer needing to hide as they looked on at a massive mound of snow that nearly blocked the path. The odd arm and leg stuck out of it, but it wasn't long before they darkened and shattered, fading into nothingness as the snow fell from the loss of support.
"It wasn't that hard at all! Maybe we can even beat Nova to Belobog!" Caelus proclaimed, hands on his hips in triumph at their success.
"Ideally, he is already there. Lynx was struggling a lot after all." Dan Heng calmly mentioned as he began to separate from the group, approaching the left walls where a large rubble of boulders and stones lay.
Wordlessly, he bent down and began sweeping the rock aside, brushing aside snow whilst shifting the larger rocks until he at last saw the goal of his efforts. With a firm grasp and a small grunt of effort, he managed to pull his spear from it, dusting it off with a stoic look before turning his attention to the sky.
The top of the valley's wall now had a gaping crack in it whilst a large portion of the stop shelf had broken and fallen, forming the mess that was now at their feet. "It was unorthodox, but it worked." He couldn't help but note to himself.
Partially sneaking by, getting caught and crowding all the monsters together because crushing them with a triggered avalanche had hardly been to plan, much less how he would have handled things but he wouldn't complain about results.
"I didn't think that someone could bat a spear like that though." Dan Heng said, unable to hold back a faint, amused smile - the scene of Caelus striking the base of his spear with his bat with all his worth still stuck in his mind.
But his thoughts were soon cut off by the soft buzzing in his pocket, prompting him to disperse his weapon back into its storage as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.
"Hey, Dan Heng! Is everything alright over there? Did you find your spear?" March called out, waving over at him as she and Caelus gave him curious looks.
"Is something wrong? Is your spear broken?" Caelus asked, the two now lightly jogging over to their friend who uncharacteristically refused to peel his gaze from his phone. "Did you receive a message? Did Nova send you something?"
"Yes, both of you should have also received it." Dan Heng replied, quickly glancing at the pair with a serious expression.
Caelus and March could only briefly exchange looks before hastily getting out there own phones, delving straight into their messages before gasping in response to what they read.
"What's that supposed to mean?! How is it possible?!" March exclaimed, hastily re-reading the message with her jaw agape.
Nova
'Guys, this is IMPORTANT and I have highly limited time. The Silvermane Guards already know of our existence and that we're coming to Belobog and they want to arrest us - they're completely convinced we're the bad guys. I'm going into hiding and sneaking in thanks to Lynx but please trust me - you need to let yourself be arrested. I have a plan and will come break you out. I won't be able to respond for a while, PLEASE trust me.'
"So we're the bad guys here? But how did they know about us?" Caelus asked in confusion.
"I don't know, but because of it Belobog has been turned against us even before we arrived." Dan Heng replied in a low voice. "It complicates things a lot…"
"To say the least! And what about Nova just telling us to just let them arrest us? Even if he will come and break us out is that really wise?" March worriedly asked.
"Surely we could just lay low and hide somewhere? Maybe we can just sneak into Belobog?" Caelus suggested but Dan Heng wasn't so easily swayed.
"We're only able to last out here thanks to the heaters that Lynx gave us combined with the Blessing of Trailblaze but we already briefly experienced that the blessings alone aren't capable of protecting us from the increased cold anymore." He said, putting away his phone to address his teammates. "We also have no knowledge of Belobog so sneaking in successfully could take time to carefully investigate for an opening considering that their guard is up."
"So we've got no other options but to hand ourselves over?" March despaired. "Maybe… maybe we can just explain ourselves? They must just be misunderstood, right?" She said with a hopeful expression/
"But wouldn't Nova have explained himself otherwise?" Caelus pointed out, instantly returning March to her glum state.
"Presuming that Nova's plan is to break us out when they least expect it, it would be an easier way to hide within the safety of the city. Sneaking in otherwise could have us pursued without a chance to hide. However, compared to successfully sneaking into the city they would be certain about our whereabouts…" Dan Heng pondered returning the group to silence until March abruptly brightened once more.
"Wait, what about the Underworld?" March enthusiastically spoke up, a lightbulb going off above her head. "Lynx mentioned that it was taboo right? No one would follow us there, maybe that's where we could go?"
"And where is it?" Caelus was quick to ask, his question genuine.
"Um… somewhere underneath Belobog… I think?" She answered with an awkward grin before giving in and sagging in disappointment.
"It is something to consider, but for now we have no idea how to reach it. It might not even be possible outside of Belobog." Dan Heng mentioned, his brows furrowing in frustration.
"Then what do we do?" Caelus asked, but amongst the unyielding blizzard, no one could come up with an immediate answer…
Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter but adding a little acreditation here. With permission I'm pulling on another author's idea for the character's storage of their items and weapons - The Dimensional Pocket. This item's concept was initially made by Solbook for their story Railroaded but unable to come up with my own original answer for the question of item storage I asked and pinched theirs. However, I will likely make little tweaks to it, but it is ultimately Solbook's idea.