The Rhino tore across Central Antarctica, carving a path through the endless white snow as it pushed in a vague north-eastern direction. Its occupants took what little time they could to unwind. The snowstorm was in full effect, the constant rumble of the vehicle battled with the distant howl of wind as it battered the Rhino's hull.
Up front, Lucky sat at the driver's seat, hands steady on the wheel as he gazed into the endless blizzard.
Further back, in the Rhino's mid-section, which functioned as a small living space – Lauri and Katrina shared a couch, sitting opposite Mele, who sat alone. Having summoned her new Memory, Mele was continuing to inspect it as her first attempt had been rudely interrupted.
The falchion was held in her hands, its curved blade catching the interior light in a dull, uneven sheen. The blade wasn't very appealing to the eye – made from motley flesh, it was uneven and layered, as if new growth had formed over old. To make it even worse, the edge was jagged in place, protrusions like teeth stuck out from its edge – whatever wound left by this blade was not going to be a pretty one.
Leaning against the arm of the couch, Lauri too was looking at the Memory. Although unlike Mele, who was studying it intently, his gaze was more curious about what part this new weapon would play in their battles to come.
Tilting his head, he chuckled slightly as a thought came to him.
'It's not too surprising that thing looks so ungodly considering the Nightmare Creature it came from, although. I am kind of surprised there isn't an eye sticking out of the hilt.'
Katrina, on the other hand, held her datapad, having been happily reading a story before Mele had joined them and summoned the falchion. Now she was looking at the weapon for very different reasons – one made obvious by the look of absolute disgust on her face.
Mele turned it slowly in her hands, inspecting it with a quiet focus, the kind she usually reserved for her archery. Her fingers traced along its spine, testing its balance and testing its weight.
Glancing at Katrina, Lauri had to suppress a chuckle as he saw her face had gone bright red with indignation at Mele for having summoned such a disgusting Memory in the same vicinity as her.
Blowing out his cheeks, Lauri broke the silence.
"What's the name of your new sword, Mele?"
Hearing Lauri speak, Mele lifted her gaze from the falchion, meeting his gaze as she answered.
"It's called [Pack's Allegiance]. An Awakened Memory with at least one enchantment, which I know of. Its description talks about how the strength of the pack is the strength of the wolf. So, I assume it will give me some kind of a boost when fighting as part of a group, but what that boost is… Who knows?"
Shrugging, Mele gave the falchion a casual wave.
Katrina recoiled at the sight – not out of concern that Mele might hit someone, but for a far more important reason.
"Stop waving that thing around, Mele! It looks like it's about to leak all over the floor!"
Turning the sword over, Mele raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What are you talking about? It doesn't even have any juices like the pack did. Ooh… Maybe that's an enchantment I can activate…"
Just as Mele finished speaking, Katrina all but jumped up from her seat in alarm.
"Don't you dare!"
Shifting in her seat, Mele let out a long sigh.
"You're no fun, Katrina. I hope Sansa gets back soon. I wonder if she'll shout at me if I drop this in her lap without saying anything. Now that would be fun."
Giggling to herself as she dismissed the Memory, Mele drummed her fingers along her thigh for a few seconds before putting on her best smile.
"Say, would either of you by any chance be looking for a new sword? I'll happily trade it for a cool arrow Memory. Maybe even a bow if its enchantments are better than my main one."
Mele's excited gaze fell on the two as she leaned forward.
Katrina's disgusted expression only grew. She turned away with a scoff.
"I don't want that wretched thing in my Soul Sea."
Lauri raised his hand, shaking it lightly in refusal.
"I'm afraid I'm not in the habit of investing in ranged Memories."
Mele fell back on the seat in disappointment, but it didn't last long, though – her head soon turned in the direction of the pilot's cabin.
"...Maybe Lucky has a Memory he'd be willing to trade…"
Without further ado, Mele got up from her seat, scampering out of the room she called.
"Oh, Luckyyy."
Leaning against the side of his seat, Lauri ran his fingers through his blond hair, pushing back his fringe that had fallen down into his eyes. Touching his face, Lauri hummed to himself as his fingers brushed through the stubble.
"Hey, Katrina, I'm having a hard time deciding. Do you think I should shave, or let it grow out? On one hand, a beard takes maintenance… but it might help with the cold. And, well – beards are pretty cool."
Idly looking at the wall on the opposite side of the room, scratching his chin, Lauri happily waited for Katrina to respond. He waited for a while, a couple of seconds turned into one minute, and then that minute turned into three.
His smile turned a little sour as his gaze shifted toward Katrina; her complete attention was focused on the story she was reading.
'What even is she reading?'
Lauri tried to get Katrina's attention again.
"Hi! Hey Katrina! Hello! Waking World to Katrina!"
Still, nothing happened; Katrina's face was all but buried in the story.
Sighing, Lauri stood up and pulled the data pad from Katrina's hands – unsurprisingly, this disturbance instantly broke Katrina's trance as the data pad was raised in the air.
Her eyes widened as she squeaked.
"Wh- Wait, hey, give that back!"
Katrina jumped up from the couch, trying to snatch her datapad back. Her efforts proved ineffective as Lauri simply raised his arm out of reach. Being on the shorter side, there was little she could do against his height.
Lauri cleared his throat, eyes still locked on the screen.
"Broken Sword leaned heavily against Anvil, his breath ragged…"
He stopped.
Silence filled the room.
Lauri blinked once, then again, as if hoping the words might rearrange themselves into something more reasonable.
"…No."
He scrolled.
"'You've been reforged too many times,' Anvil said softly, his voice low and–"
Lauri cut himself off, his face tightening.
"…Definitely not finishing that sentence."
Katrina let out a strangled noise, still jumping uselessly beneath his raised arm.
"Lauri- stop reading it!"
Lauri slowly lowered the datapad just enough to look over it, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and quiet judgment.
"Do your parents know the type of thing you read when you're alone… Wait, you're not even reading this alone."
Katrina finally managed to grab onto his arm, face burning.
"Give it back!"
Lauri swapped the data pad to his other hand, keeping it just out of reach.
"I'm just trying to understand."
He continued, glancing back at the screen with a faint frown.
"Is it like, is it a metaphor? Is he actually broken? Why is the anvil talking?"
"Lauri… You know exactly who they are…"
"Is the reforging symbolic, or–"
"Lauri!"
He paused, then sighed, lowering the datapad at last.
"…I have many concerns about you now."
Katrina snatched it back instantly, clutching it to her chest as if Lauri might try to take it again.
"You weren't supposed to read that!"
Lauri rubbed his temple, still looking faintly disturbed.
"I figured that around when I read how Anvil was wielding Broken Sword's… Hilt…"
Shivering, Lauri dropped back onto the couch.
Still holding the data pad to her chest, Katrina sat back down. She glanced at Lauri.
"You know, I didn't just find this… Vick showed it to me."
Lauri let out a quiet laugh, covering his face with his hands.
"Now that part doesn't surprise me."
Contemplating throwing himself into the jaws of the next Nightmare Creature he saw, Lauri's plans were interrupted as he heard steps approaching the living space from the rear of the Rhino.
Rubbing his face one last time, Lauri smiled.
"They're finally back."
Moments later, Danse and Sansa entered the room.
Danse filled the space as he entered. He was a well-built man with heavy shoulders and a steady presence. His brown hair was cropped short, and a beard lined his jaw. He even stood taller than Lauri, who himself was already taller than the others in their team.
Following a few steps behind him, Sansa was practically his opposite in every way but their hair colour. Her short brunette hair framed her face, as her ruby eyes looked around the room. She stepped in, scratching the back of her head lightly before offering a small, casual greeting.
"Hey, guys."
Danse sat where Mele had been sitting not too long ago. Crossing his arms, he sat back, eyes narrowing every so slightly.
"I hear we got attacked."
Sansa's expression dropped.
"Huh."
Staring at Danse, her head quickly whipped around to Lauri.
"We got attacked whilst Danse and I were in the Dream Realm?"
Lauri looked at Danse for a few moments, confused how he would have known this before realising.
"Oh, right, you and Vick are both tethered in Bastion. Yeah, we did get attacked... How did Vick know? I found her lying sound asleep in the snow."
Danse shrugged.
"I dunno. She didn't mention that part."
Lauri rolled his eyes.
"Right. Anyway – yeah, some Nightmare Creature tried to put us all to sleep, probably to try and eat us all later. But I noticed in time, and we got out of there. Nothing too dramatic."
He said it casually, as if that weren't an understatement of the highest order.
Sansa dropped down beside Danse with a quiet exhale, leaning back slightly.
"To think I could've died here and not even known it…"
Clapping his hands together, Lauri sat up.
"Alright, enough dawdling, what's the next mission that command has so graciously gifted unto us?"
Danse took a deep breath and then spoke.
His voice lacked any form of levity.
"Prepare yourselves."
Holding out his hand, sparks began to appear as he summoned a Memory. Before long, the sparks disappeared, revealing a dark brown wooden box – its surface smooth and lacquered, catching the light with a subtle, polished sheen.
Opening the lid, Danse pulled out a stack of papers.
Dismissing the box, he cleared his throat before reading the first line.
"Operation: Dismantle Pass. The Irregular Company, led by Ascended Lauri, has been tasked with the destruction of a series of bridges spanning a ravine that stretches across the southern reaches of the Antarctic Centre. This is to impede the progression of a horde of Nightmare Creatures–"
Despite having already read the paper before returning from the Dream Realm, Danse's tone faltered slightly as his eyes moved across the page.
"…Which are the remnants of the Fallen Titan."
A brief silence followed as the weight of the words settled in.
"Whispering Legion."