𝕽𝖊𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖓 - 𝕳𝖎3𝖗𝖉 𝖝 𝕳𝕾𝕽 [Inspired by @KeysOfVoid]

Travelers on a Wintry Night - Chapter III

The world of Jarilo-VI was cold. No matter what horrible dad jokes or attempts to lighten up the mood that anyone in the crew tried, it was still cold. Desolate. And... perhaps, a little depressing.

"These are... roofs?", March 7th looked down on the snow. "How long does snow need to fall until... this?"

"Must've been quite chilly for them.", Kevin sighed. 

"This isn't the time for jokes!", March shook her head."Hey, did you see that!?", March 7th shouted. She pointed to a snowdrift that was moving around. 

"It's just an ordinary snowdrift. Are you sure you're not seeing things?", Dan Heng looked at the snowdrift, before realizing that it was moving around. "..Never mind."

"See! My eyesight is perfect! Let's take a closer look!", March shouted. Despite the cold weather, March and Stelle were really excited. 

"...where do I get this endless supply of energy?", Kevin sighed. "Youngsters these days.", the white-haired man walked slowly towards the location of the trio. 

"Be faster!", March 7th shouted. "Slowpoke.. you're like a grandpa! Even Mr. Welt walks faster than you!". She could only observe as Kevin walked unbearably slowly towards the location of the snowdrift. The snowdrift also kept on moving around. 

"...You're just walking too fast. Walk slower.", Kevin continued to walk towards the snowdrift. 

"Hey, get outta there or you'll freeze to death!", March 7th shouted to the snowdrift. "Holding your breath won't help...".

"I got this, March. If someone's got their hand stuck in the sand, or in the snow, in this case... They just need a helping hand.", Dan Heng said, pulling out the mysterious man in the snow. 

"Yeowch!!", Mystery Blue Haired Man shouted. 

"Who are you?",  Kevin glared at Mystery Blue Haired Man. 

"My fine fellows, was that really necessary? Is crawling around the snow a crime these da--"

"..Quiet.", Kevin was about to pull Mystery Blue Haired Man out, before...

"Hey, you don't need to be that rude.", March said. "He's probably already cold, don't make him freeze over.", the pink haired girl said. Kevin put his hand back. 

"Is Captain Gepard around? ...H-he's an old buddy of mine...", Mystery Blue Haired Man chuckled nervously. 

"Who?", March 7th confusedly asked.

"Wait, you're not Silvermane Guards? Well, why didn't you say so? Turns out we're on the same side after all!", Mystery Blue Haired Man chuckled confidently, trying to pretend that he was 100% not a wanted criminal. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Sampo Koski.", he bowed. 

"I'm Stelle.", the atomic-bomb-turned-human replied.

"Excellent! I'll remember the name. I never thought I'd run into friends from the same line of work out here in this frozen wasteland.", he sighed, clearly still cold. "Business is bad these days, b-"

"What do you mean 'line of work'?", Kevin asked, quite kindly.

"A-ahaha! Uhm... uhh... I can understand the mistrust, but.. there's no need for the charade...", Sampo chuckled nervously, shivering. Standing near Kevin during the winter was not a good idea.

"Anyway, a meeting like this has to be written in the stars, so ask me anything you like! I won't skimp on the details. Still, make it snappy - you're never more than ten feet away from a Silvermane Guard...".

"Is there a settlement nearby?", Stelle chipped in. 

"Ahh, settlement! What a literary turn of phrase.. Well, there's only one place in this world where the living still reside - our beloved Belobog! The further away you get, the dicier things become.", Sampo chuckled. "The City of Preservation, the Towering Citadel, humanity's last bastion against the Eternal Freeze... It may sound a bit over the top, but those names are grounded in truth. The only place where humans can eke out an existence is behind those impregnable walls.".