Permafrost

21: Shard

⭐️Chapter 21: Shard

The Infernos were getting a little tired and grumpy now. The night had come as they walked this path, and the moonlight and the starlight illuminated the snow. Trees were still at the sides, with more rocks and shrubbery covered in snow. The cold did not help, but their bodies had already become numb to it. They had looked behind them as they walked, to see where the other paths had lead.

The path going downhill had gone down pretty steep, and had ended by a frozen river...er, mostly frozen. The path going up was only just a large rock sticking up. The Infernos unfortunately didn't get to see what the path going off to the side did, but they assumed it wasn't important. They just kept on walking through the one they were on now. They still hadn't found any sign of a village or place to stay. 

Over hills and down through the path they went, trying to have fun in this rather unsettling night walk. Cosmo tried to play "I spy" but since the moonlight was their only light, the only things they could see were plants, rocks, leaves and snow falling, stars, and the clouds in the night sky. Jack scanned the horizon for any possibility of smoke, lights, anything signaling a home, but found nothing. Ryn didn't even know what kept her going, as her feet had basically frozen within her boots (not literally, her ink was fine). She just trusted Tide's words that they could make it before it got too late.

Then again, were they wrong? Had Tide miscalculated? They weren't sure how far along they were, but it was basically night time now, and pretty far into it as well. Maybe that path that curved off to the side was the right path. But Ryn wasn't about to tell her friends that after they already felt hopeless.

Suddenly, a point sensor was thrown at them from out of nowhere. It got all of them, and seconds later, four snowballs followed. Jack growled as he shook off the snowball, and got down on the ground in preparation to create and throw a snowball back. Silvia and Ryn scanned the area for the person who could have possibly thrown the snowballs. Luckily for them, they didn't have to look too hard, as the person responsible stepped out of the snow covered plants, kicking away Jack's snow mount he had been building up to make a snowball.

"HEY! WHAT GIVES?!" Jack snarled, standing up. He was met eye to eye with the colossal himself.

"Ugh, not you again" Ryn groaned.

"Leave us alone, Thrash" Silvia said sternly.

Cosmo examined him. He had seemingly gotten a coat, his splattershot pro, and more proper winter wear. But...where had he gotten it? When had he gotten it? Cosmo decided not to ask.

"Hah, as if! You guys are fun to mess with!" Thrash sneered.

"Go find someone your own size to mess with!" Ryn said loudly.

"Hah, no way, there's nobody even here that can even match up to my size! They're all too tiny, weak, wimpy, and pathetic to even try!" Thrash exclaimed with a grin.

"No, there's nobody your size around because you're a tiny excuse for a colossal inkling" Silvia replied coldly.

Jack and Cosmo looked at her in shock. Man, they didn't expect Silvia to make a comeback like that. Thrash walked up to her, his grin now shifting to clenched teeth.

"You wanna say that to my face, missy?"

Silvia didn't flinch as she looked him square in the eye.

"Oh please, we all know Colossal inklings are supposed to be at least around 8 feet tall or so. The last time I checked, you were about a foot short."

Thrash wound up a punch to hit her in the face.

"If you say so-"

Jack quickly launched forward and held back Thrash's arm before he could swing. Ryn took aim with her splattershot, and fired a shot at the hand Jack was holding back. It contacted Thrash's skin since he wasn't wearing gloves, and he growled in pain. With his hand now stinging in pain, he tugged down to get it out of the grip, then used his free hand to turn around and try to punch Jack. Silvia grabbed his arm before he could, and held it back with the strength she had.

Ryn would've fired at the other hand, but she didn't want to risk hitting Silvia with her ink as well. Thrash twisted his arm down, and Silvia let go. He shook off both hands, and kneeled down, sticking the one Ryn shot into the snow. The snow making contact with it as well as the snow around it quickly melted away, leaving nothing but a mud trail. He stood back up and pointed his splattershot pro at them.

"You're just lucky the rest of my team isn't here right now. We would fight you again, and WIN" he snarled.

"Pff, as if" Jack scoffed.

"Just you wait. You'll see."

And with that, Thrash turned around and walked down the path the Infernos had come from. The Infernos watched his figure leave their sights before turning to one another. Man, was that an event. 

"Not gonna lie, that was probably the most interesting thing that's happened here so far" Jack said.

"I do agree, it was a change of pace from this quiet snow walk..." Cosmo added.

Ryn sighed.

"Yeah..."

The friend group of 4 began walking again. Back to the quiet serenity of the woods. Though, they had to admit they kind of WANTED more action. Anything to distract them from this boring trek through nowhere. Actually, Cosmo nearly forgot about what he had observed earlier.

"Hey, that reminds me, did you guys notice the winter clothing and weapon?" he asked.

"Yup. First thing I saw" Silvia replied.

"I wonder where he got those...do you think he could have gone back to Laocrah town, back to his own house to get it?" Cosmo asked.

"I thought there were Frost Army guards there" Ryn said.

"No, I think they just took people and left..." Cosmo responded, trying to remember his last sight of the town when the group of three had fled the place.

"That's what I remember" Jack said.

Silvia nodded.

"Yeah, me too."

"Well, then probably. Knowing him, he'd do that with the recklessness he has" Ryn replied.

"But why? I thought he wouldn't want to go back? We don't even know how he got out in the first place!"

"Well, I guess we've got a conversation to talk about for our walk."

And with that, the Infernos continued onwards through the snowy path, in nothing but moonlight and starlight.