Dashing Through the Snow

My phone lets out a ding as I receive a PDF file from Isa. Skimming it over as I enter the express I slowly realize its two thousand plus page document on how to properly perform medical aid to those in need. Sitting on one of the seats in the parlor car my eyes widen slightly as Pom-Pom's voice begins to echo throughout the room.

"Hello? Hello hello?" I go to stand up as I realize Isa couldn't let me get away without sending a parting gift. Staring outside of the window with a dropped jaw she waves goodbye as Pom-Pom's next words force me into my chair.

"All passengers, please return to your seats." I'm forced to grab the rapidly rising March 7th, who seems to have just finished a conversation with Stelle. Unless of course we wanted a repeat of the previous incident. She clearly wants to try and impress the gray haired girl, but we both know how this story is going to end.

"The train is about to make the jump!"

Pulling her down with me as I sit down next to Stelle I give the golden eyed girl a smile as I feel March's pout press in from behind me.

"You might want to hold onto something." She responds by grabbing my arm and pressing into my chest. That works too I guess. I hold onto the seat for dear life as Pom-Pom's voice once again makes itself known.

"Hold on Everyone!" I steady myself as the blue glow begins to pulse throughout the cabin.

"5" I breathe in and try to relax whilst still keeping a grip on the two important packages in my arms.

"4" March gently tries to leave my grip as I give her an incredulous look, her embarrassed smile evolving into a laugh.

"3" Blue encompasses everything.

"2" Stelle holds me a little bit tighter.

"1" I brace for disorientation, to perhaps be flung out of my seat.

But the feeling never comes, and I let out a breath of relief as I practically fall back into my seat. March nearly shoots up after a moment, as she looks out of the window and down at the planet below.

"It's beautiful." I don't know whose mouth it came from, whether mine or March's. But the words hold true nonetheless. The massive ball of ice and water hanging gently as a distant star burns behind it. The heat barely reaches the sixth planet we stare at in wonder.



I remember the name now. Belobog. It's a beautiful planet. Himeko walks into the car as the thought crosses my mind. A small frown on her beautiful face.

"After all those millenia . . . is this what Jarillo-VI has become?" Jarila what now? Looks like I don't remember the name. That's embarrassing. Luckily I didn't say anything or I'd have been confidently incorrect. A fate worse than death.

"Huh? So that snowy planet is our destination this time?"

"Yes . . . It looks like this trailblazing expedition won't be easy."

"Spatial readout anomaly, Star Rail stability is down to 12%! Schedule alteration: Seven-Day stopover has been extended indefinitely." What. That's . . .annoying. I don't remember if that happened in the game! Wait, did we go to the wrong planet? That could be really bad. My foreknowledge will be useless!

Not like I had much to begin with but finding out it might do practically nothing would suck!

What do I even remember about the ice planet? Well it's cold for starters, and I remember the final boss theme being one hell of a banger to listen too. I vaguely recall someone who was like the president being evil. Also there's a giant robot somewhere.

Maybe my memory could be jogged, but it's also possible my memory is useless. Especially since we might just be on the wrong planet entirely!

"Indefinitely?" The girl next to me sits up a bit straighter at the conductor's words.

"Indefinitely! Until the anomaly is removed!"

"The complex locality of this world has been . . . affected somehow. The Star Rail has been blocked by something." The woman's heels click softly as she approaches us.

"Take an ordinary train for example: It's like the tracks ahead of us have suddenly snapped- Sam? Are you alright?" I blink as I turn to her, a concerned expression on her face as I sit there trying to comb through my own brain.

"Uh, yeah! Just thinking." The whole crew beginning to gather in a circle near me and Stelle as I speak.

"Mostly just worried about the whole being stuck thing." She gives a nod that turns into a smile.

"We'll analyze the anomaly, and then we'll handle it like we always do. I have a feeling I know what it's going to be after all. . . ." Her words calm me down slightly as her smile becomes softer as I nod my head in agreement.

"This again . . . Don't tell me, It's gotta be . . ." March trails off as she looks to Welt for confirmation of her words. What? What could it be? The suspense is killing me!

"The results of the preliminary analysis are here - the anomaly stems from a Stellaron, as always." Ah, the Destruction eggs. That's the entire plot of the game isn't it? Go to different places, beat up Stellerons, save the day.

Maybe this is the right place, maybe I just suck with names.

Stelle softly puts a hand over heart and mutters the word as I realize something extremely stupid.

Is she named after the Stelleron? I'm just not going to question it and assume its 'gacha protagonist fate' or whatever.

"Yes, Stelle - Just like the one that's been placed into your body."

"So, we are going to beat up the other Stellaron right?"

"We can neutralize it, we just need to find it first. Though we may need to defeat those who would protect it."

"The Legion?" Stelle's confused voice does raise an important question. After all, if the Legion were here we'd have been attacked by now. Those fuckers can travel through space with relative ease. Her query causes Welt to speak up as he shakes his head lightly as he looks at Stelle gently with his next words.

"While you seem to have some resistance, the Stelleron often leads to a corrupting effect on those who draw power from it. They respond to the desires of those who would serve them. Often leading to a distorted form of whatever 'wish' they originally sought. Stelleron's shouldn't be taken lightly. So far it seems to not be influencing you. A very positive sign, be wary if it tries to contact you and do not trust it." The serious look in his eyes causes Stelle to tense up slightly, as though she's afraid that will be her fate. I softly run a hand through her hair then I gently hold her hands and look her in the eyes.

"We'll make sure that never happens to you." She looks over the group who mirror my desire. The grateful look on her face makes my heart skip a beat.

"The only thing we can say for sure is that their arrival causes massive changes to civilizations and ecosystems. They also generate distortions in space such as Fragmentums." He takes a brief pause as he stares at the ball of ice. "There must be an inextricable connection between the Stellaron we're dealing with here, and Jarilo-VI becoming a frozen planet."

"Our current theory is that Stellarons are seeds of disaster planted by a certain Aeon throughout the universe. We can't continue to trailblaze without removing the source of the disaster." At this point I chip in, our goal becoming clear.

"We have to remove the Stelleron in order to save this planet and continue our journey."

"Yep! We've gotta get busy!" Stelle nods at our words and then smiles.

"So we're like a chivalrous band of cosmic knights!" We are like that, aren't we? Though only half of these knights are actually competent. I'm not being put in the competent bracket yet, but someday I hope to graduate to such a position!

"Right! You finally get what we're all about. Pretty cool, huh?" At least March is happy at being called a knight.

"Though you fancied yourself a princess?"

"Well- I can be both! Princess Knight March 7th!" She points a finger to the sky with a smile on her face.

"Galactic Baseball Knight Stelle!" Stelle holds her baseball bat up like a sword.

"Very Confused Knight Sam!" I hold up my fist as I play along.

"Dan Heng! What knight are you!" The woman shakes her head lightly before muttering out her legendary title.

"I'm Cold Dragon Young . . ." A serious expression mixed with a light blush as she reveals her chunni side. Who could have thought that Dan Heng had this side to her?

"Aw, that's not a Knight! But you can still be part of our team!" March ever inclusive still grants her a role on the team. Truly the princess is merciful.

"Alright then, the Knights have their mission then. Find the Stelleron and bring it back to the Express. We'll handle the rest."

"You aren't coming Himeko?" I question the woman who gives me a smile.

"Someone has to stay on the train or Pom-Pom will get lonely. Not to mention Nanook peered at us for a moment. If the Antimatter Legion shows up to a defenseless express it could spell disaster."

"So it's still not our turn?" The man lets out a sigh as she shakes his head with a small smile.

"Let the youngsters be the Knights this time, it'll be a good opportunity for them to bond."

"If it gets too much for you to handle, don't hesitate to call Himeko and I. Trailblazing your first world can often lead to unexpected risks."

"Dan Heng, you know what to do from now on. I leave them in your hands." Dan Heng nods at her words as she gestures for us to follow her with the movement of her head. Her form is already retreating into her room.

"The survey results and ecological data have certainly finished compiling by now, all I need to do is analyze it." Stelle still clutches my arm as we approach Dan Heng's room. However the dragon woman pauses and glances at Stelle for a moment with worry.

"Are you doing okay after your first jump? Any unbalance or sense of dizziness?" She shakes her head in response.

"Wait outside, I'll be back in a few moments." Leaving our trio alone she gets to work on something very important.

"March, do you think this is your homeworld?" The adorable loot goblin asks.

"To be honest, I think I'd be kind of annoyed if I found out this was my homeworld. It looks freezing . . . Pretty girls aren't frost-resistant!" Speaking of frost resistance, I wonder how much the cold will actually do to me? I am certain I have temperature resistance at this point. I mull it over as Stelle and March converse, then I remember something I've been putting off.

"Hey March, do you know how to store things in your Path?" She tilts her head, then nods.

"Storing things in your Path is easy! Now that you walk the Path of Trailblaze you should be able to store a tool that helps you Trailblaze within! That does usually only mean one thing, something that will help you in a pinch . . . it's why I can't just put my camera in there after all." I nod in acceptance, that makes sense.

"But how do I go about actually doing that?" Stelle, as though to show off, summons her Baseball Bat and slings it over her shoulder in a pose. March snaps a picture in response, then slides it into the album I'd given her with a smile and light blush.

"That one's going on the wall- Anyways you just need to feel for the Path you walk, then imagine yourself reaching and moving the object!" Following her words I feel within myself. I get the urge to Propagate, but I resist and instead dive deeper.

Then I spot the spiraling symbol of DNA. Silver, and Pinks spiraling as one. Then I reach out my hand as I grip my phone tightly. The DNA peels apart and reveals a small cubby. I gently set my phone in and the space morphs to its size.

Then I return to reality.

"You did it, and on your first try too! Good job Sam!" She bounces over with a smile and a blooming blush on her face. Then she pauses as her face explodes in a deep blush.

"I-I'm going to go speak to Himeko about something before we go! I'll be right back!" For her to get that embarrassed by it, it must have been quite the thing to forget.

"Make sure to get back soon princess!" She lets out a squeak as she runs down the hall. I still can't get over how cute she is. Stelle takes this opportunity to silently stare at me.

"What's up Stelle?"

"The roof . . . I'm a little nervous."

"Honestly, me too." Her eyes widen a little bit in surprise, did I really seem that reliable?

"Stelle, I get worried about stuff too. I'm not infallible." She gives a little nod before giving me a very different type of hug than normal. She wraps her arms around me softly, not as though she were diving into a secure location. But instead to comfort me.

She's such a sweet girl. I can't help but softly smile at the gesture.

"Stelle, thank you." The smile becomes awkward as her grip becomes far too tight. "But I'm sure things will be fine." Being an emantor does have some benefits after all.

March hurriedly runs down the hallway, looking like she's ready to say something before she spots me in a tight hug with Stelle.

"Welcome back March!" I give her a smile as Stelle turns her head towards March, her expression not visible from my angle. March's eyes widen before her eyes narrow slightly at Stelle. I turn down to Stelle who looks up at me with big puppy dog eyes.

Surely she can do no wrong.

"H-Hi Sam!" I slightly move Stelle away, her grip losing some bravado at the action so that I can properly greet March.

"Everything go alright?"

"Yep! Better than ok actually, I learned something really important!" Plot relevant detail spotted!

"Something about our little adventure down to the ice ball?"

"Ah, no. It's something that I'll tell you after we're done with the Stelleron Jarillo-VI!" I nod, must be some kind of serious conversation then. Maybe this planet has something to do with her frozen past after all . . .

"I'm sure you'll tell us when you're ready. I trust you March." She smiles and runs a hand through her bangs. Then Dan Heng makes her presence known as she exits from her room.

"I've conducted a preliminary survey and found that there's one area with a relatively normal temperature on the surface of the planet. By "normal," I mean a temperature that just about allows for human survival." She takes a brief pause and points at the map on her phone."If I had to choose a site for initial investigation on this trailblazing expedition, that would be it."

"We find the Stelleron on Jarilo-VI, dispel the effect it's exerting on the Star Rail, then we continue. All plans are subject to change based on circumstance."

"So how are we even getting down there?"

"We have a shuttle we use, then we'll align ourselves with the Space Anchor we place on the planet in order to allow easier travel."

"Space Anchor?"

"It's the power of the Trailblaze. The ability to return to where you've once journeyed, however there are conditions on their activation. You must complete your current expedition in order to fully use them, so we're mostly stuck on the planet until we completely deal with Stelleron."

"So we're stuck in story mode until we complete the main quest?" That's certainly one way of putting it Stelle. Dan Heng's eyes slowly blink before she gives a numb nod.

"Sure." March takes my hand, then holds her hand out to Stelle. It's as if an invisible pact is sworn between the two as they firmly hold hands. Our group continues down the hall as March laughs.

"This is going to be so much fun! Going on our first expedition as a Trailblazing Team! I can already imagine all the fun stuff the four of us will do together!"

Pulling into the shuttle space it has a surprising amount of room. Dan Heng sits in the pilot seat before March can jump into it.

"March, we can't have a repeat of last time."

"The crash was an accident!" The WHAT.

"March, did you crash the shuttle?" She lets out a proud nod at my words.

"I did! And I'd do it again in order to avoid that crowd of people!"

"You didn't need to crash it to do that . . . Though honestly I'd have probably made the same error."

"Aren't we going to need winter clothes for this?" I probably won't but the rest of them probably will. I decide to change the subject away from crashing to our doom.

"The Path of Trailblaze protects us from some environmental effects, I have chosen our landing location with that in mind."

"Thanks for the heads up, I like not being a popsicle." We fly over a canyon filled with snow and bring ourselves down inside it. The soft blizzard blowing in the air. We pour out of the shuttle and the thing flies back up to the Astral Express. I give the thing a wave goodbye as March and Stelle join me in the action.

"Jarillo-VI, we're here."

The outside isn't cold at all. It's practically the same as the spaceship temperature wise.

"Brrr. It really is one big snowball." However my companion's don't seem to feel the same way.

"Thought we were supposed to resist the temperature?"

"Resistance is not immunity."

"Fair enough." I let out the mutter as I see everyone else slightly chilly from the cold air.

"It really is all snow . . . which way do we even go, Dan Heng?"

"The coordinates of the target should be up ahead."

"Then let's go!" Suddenly a puff of snow hits me in the face and I stand motionless at the sudden attack from nature.

"Snrk."

"Guess I'm a snowman now. My fate is sealed." I wipe the white from my face and form a small snowball. Then I toss the thing right at the March 7th who'd laughed at me.

"Sam!"

"We're both snow people now, cursed forever."

"Y-yeah. The both of us." Then Stelle face plants in the snow. I hoist the girl up and put her on her feet, snow now stuck in her hair.

"I'm a snow people now too." My head slowly turns to Dan Heng who gives me a look of fright.

"I'd rather go back to being Knights . . ."

"You live another day Cold Dragon Young." Her blush is so bad you'd think her sick.

"A-anyways, let's keep moving."

"Yeah! We have to listen to what Cold Dragon Young says, she always knows what to do!" Even March joins in and Dan Heng puts a hand over her chest as though she's having a heart attack. Dan Heng, you've shown us your reverse scale . . . do think you can escape this so easily.

"L-let's just activate the Space Anchor and continue." Holding her hand over a patch of snow a strange device appears. It rises from the ground as strands of silver form its rings. They seem to rust and turn a form of brown as blue crystal shudders and grows into a blue structure.

"Everyone can go ahead and attune to the Space Anchor." Faint strands of silver exit her body and flow into the crystal. March and Stelle repeat the action but I hesitate.

"Sam, is everything alright?" Will my strands have pink mixed in? Is it a well known fact that one of THEM is pink?

I nod and move forward, holding my hand against the anchor. I pull upon the power of my path, and a faint silver thread pours into the crystal. Then my mind buzzes with excitement for a moment, my path stimulated causing me to let out a hot breath.

Silver turns to pink, and I feel space bend. Flashes burst past my mind. The same Bug God from before, prisons of amber, a massive railway across the galaxy, countless ruined worlds, and finally myself. I blink. I am no longer in that canyon.

"What?" Turning my head in every direction I spot nothing but a blizzard. You've got to be kidding me. Stupid space magic teleporting me in random directions.

Ok, Sam. Just regroup and we'll get this sorted. Then I'm reminded of something. My phone! I'll just call the train and get this solved. Welt and Himeko are super reliable after all.

I go to reach for my phone inside the massive DNA strand but find some resistance. I try again, and again but my phone is locked away from me. Running a hand over my face I grit my teeth. I'm unfathomably lost.

Again I try against the DNA strand, and I notice it's slightly looser after I'd let it rest. Is this thing really on some kind of time limit? Perhaps my two paths are interfering with each other. I can feel the DNA twitching, as if though its adapting on itself.

Rewriting its own genetic code in order to work in tandem with something it would never normally do.

When you're lost aren't you supposed to stay put? Pretty sure that's only if someone knows where you got lost, and I don't know if they can track bent space. Here's hoping everyone else calls the crew and they can find me, but with them being on guard against the Legion I don't know if they can spare the effort.

They know I can handle myself on my own. I've done it before I can do it again. The sound of snow being crunched behind me doesn't give me the most hope. Instinctually I Propagate.

A frozen halberd descends towards me and I slide out of the way with ease. I grab the things head and press inwards causing its face to fall apart. More approach from the storm and I start carving my way though.

I throw a punch into the wing of a bird snapping it off while ducking under a halberd swipe. I bring myself low and knock out the things legs. Then I step on its head in order to finish the job. The bodies rapidly dissipate, clear signs of fragmentum monsters then. I'd figured but confirming never hurt anyone. I continue to Propagate and heal the occasional wounds I receive as the battles continue. The mental fatigue builds but I push forwards. These things travel in packs and I've positioned myself quite well, using the surrounding rock formations as cover in order to take them down without a fight. The things don't try to hide their presence, they exist to kill and destroy. I'd certainly feel bad killing a person or animal, but these are just monsters.

. . .

I think it's been an hour since I have started fighting, the monsters are nearly endless. No wonder these fuckers could destroy worlds. They were practically throwing an entire world's worth of monsters against them.

Looks like one of the bastards is hiding, but I can hear your footsteps.

"It's dangerous out here. We need to get back to Belobog." Blinking as a small girl pops out from around a rock I lock eyes with her. Memories flowing back at the particular nam

I remember this girl as well. A budget healer in the game, four stars, Lynx. I knew nothing of her lore but I did remember one thing. She came from the city of Belebog. The city with a corrupt leader. What made her corrupt? I don't recall, but I do remember having to run from the cops oh so long ago.

Fuck, does that mean I got the name of the planet and city mixed up? That's embarrassing.

"Yeah. That sounds good. I could go for a hot meal right now."

"Let's go, try not to sneak out of the city again." I nod at her words as the follow the small girl.

"So, you come out here often?"

"It's part of my job, I tend to go alone though. I can't really be too accommodating, sadly, though you shouldn't have gone out here to begin with." Maybe I can work with this. Pretend to be a civilian testing his mettle? I'd rather not get chased around by the police all the time. That sounds like a hassle.

I'll even be able to provide some support to my friends once I get my bearings . . .

'Yeah I've always lived here' plan is a go!

"Sorry. I just didn't want to sit around while the monsters destroyed everything."

"You've survived this long, so you certainly draw power from the Amber Lord. I'll put in a recommendation for the Silvermane Guards. My brother works for them too so maybe you'll get along with him."

"Thanks. I want to make a difference." Those words are certainly true. "I'm S-Simon by the way." I almost give out my real name like an idiot, but luckily manage to catch myself just in time.

"I'm Lynx." We walk for a couple more hours and she doesn't seem to be too keen on holding a conversation, probably annoyed that I interrupted her work.

Then we arrive at the top of a hill and I see it. Belobog in all of its glory. The sun shining overhead with radiant sunset basking the city in a soft glow. Massive walls stretching throughout the frozen land, and countless pieces of scrap rest in in the earth. This place has been around for a long time.

A city in these frozen wastes, a symbol of Preservation despite the odds. These people have been through so much . . . I really hope we can help them. I don't remember how this plot ends in the game, but I'm certain I can be of some use.

"Stop gawking, we need to go."

"Sorry Ms. Lynx, and thank you for saving me." She nods lightly and actually gives me a little bit of a grin.

"If you join the Silvermane you can be the one doing the saving in the future." Fuck now I feel bad. For my temporary stay I'll do the best I can, I swear! The girl hands me a ration from pocket and I munch on the thing with fervor.

"You'll be busy for a while, so eat now before you lose the chance."

It tastes like chocolate covered sandpaper, it's also strangely liquidly and quenches my thirst quite a bit. What an interesting little thing.

"Let's go, you have some forms to fill out Mr. Simon." I nod and pick up the pace in order to stay close behind my impromptu guide. Thinking about paperwork my head starts to spin a bit, never enjoyed that sort of work after all.

I can only hope none of them require a home address . . .

AN: I have returned! With a new chapter for your viewing pleasure. The gang messes around in the snow for a while before Sam is unceremoniously punted across the land via an angry teleporter. Lynx is also on the scene and is very socially awkward with her only friend being Pela, someone who we will be meeting next chapter!

Sam is also getting more combat experience and is rapidly becoming stronger. He'd wished he had the time to train with Dan Heng but sadly things had simply happened too fast. After the Belebog arc I plan to have a cooldown period where not much really happens and the crew gets some time off . . . until the IPC decides to do a takeover of Jarillo-VI.

I hope you all leave nice comments and correct spelling/grammar errors as engagement helps push my writing. I probably won't update this until I finish finals as I have a speech to write and that shit takes so much brain juice. Not even including the chemistry . . .

Also if you want to check out the random stuff I come up with you can do so here!