[center][h3]The Chalk Prince, the Fallen Child, the Prisoner, and the Skullgirl[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Frozen Highlands - Dragonspine Foothills
Linkle’s [@Gentlemanvaultboy], Frisk’s [@Majoras End], Prisoner’s [@XoXKieroBombXoX] [/center]

The Prisoner found Albedo to be an altogether manageable burden, helped not just by his slender build but also by the fact that he wasn’t just dead weight. Thanks in large part to Frisk’s single-minded determination, it seemed as though the duo successfully retrieved the alchemist from what would otherwise be a snowy grave before he succumbed to either suffocation or the cold. Wary of any possible pursuers, the Prisoner steered the others well clear of where the avalanche came to rest in its terrifying enormity, burying both the battlefield and any leftover would-be ambushers beneath tons upon tons of crunchy, chunky snow. When it became clear that no snowmen remained to challenge them the three could slow down, the frigid alpine air burning the throats of those who still possessed the ability to hyperventilate.

Not far behind them trailed Linkle, jogging along with an uncharacteristic solemn expression on her face. Despite all her power, she hadn’t anticipated that the tremors created by Bad Mr. Frosty’s ground pounds would actually sweep her off her feet. She picked herself up from those quakes just in time to see the fate in store for Albedo, and after that nothing else seemed to matter. In her mad dash to reach and save him she too fell victim to the polar landslide that engulfed him. Tumbled end over end to the point of total disorientation and deposited upside down, Linkle came to in the same terrible predicament that her new friend faced. Unlike him, however, she felt not the slightest trace of cold–only the anger and desperation to act. So too did she possess the physical strength and the elemental magic to break herself loose from the snow entombing her, and once back on her feet the Skullgirl turned her tranquil fury on Bad Mr. Frosty, far colder and deadlier than the thuggish snowman could ever be, and alongside the Prisoner she took him down.

It came as a relief to everyone that Albedo seemed more or less okay. While he’d lost his new murky green overcoat in the chaos, leaving him a mess of caked snow and mussed hair, he was free of any cuts, stab wounds, or broken bones courtesy of wood or stone debris caught in the avalanche. When Frisk sacrificed their coat for him he gave a slow, deliberate nod of gratitude, although trying to pull it tight around him to preserve his heat didn’t accomplish much. “I’m afraid it’s too small to do me much good,” he remarked matter-of-factly. “I would rather you keep it for yourself than risk exposure for little return. I would hazard a guess that I sustained a minor concussion at most. After all my time on Dragonspine I am somewhat used to the cold myself, and seldom did I wear an extra coat, anyway.” With the same measured stiffness he patted the kid on the head, his neutral expression saying that yes, he really would be fine.

The other two exchanged a few words, including introductions. From the looks of it, the Prisoner would be happy to join the merry little band as they made their way around the mountain to the fishing village, and naturally Frisk welcomed him into the fold. Albedo didn’t seem too elated, although by now his previous companions could assume that to just be par for the course. Instead he considered the new partnership with a pragmatic air, as if it presented some sort of complication. “An interesting choice considering that you don’t know our intentions, or where we’re headed,” he said after a moment. “But since you lent us your aid, we are in your debt, and far be it from me to deny you.” He nodded his affirmation, but did not extend a hand for the dead man to shake.

Then the alchemist tried to stand, but the way he wobbled after gaining his feet left a lot to be desired, as if his wipeout in the avalanche knocked his sense of balance out of him. He held out his arms to steady himself in place, breathing in and out slowly to maintain control. “Excuse me,” he said, his look apologetic as he regarded the others. “I seem to be…a little off-kilter. Perhaps I could trouble you to take the lead…as we continue.”

Ahead of them lay the devastation of the avalanche, which took up pretty much the entire width of the shallow river valley the team had been following northwest before. A far cry from the pristine smoothness of the open fields, it was an absolute mess of disturbed snow and debris. Entire pieces of splintered trees jutted from its misshapen surface at odd angles, and of the valley pines only the pointy green tops poked out. Still, the forces at play left the snow hard-packed, so the travelers could walk on and climb it just like any other ground, and the elevation change also gave them the option of an easy shortcut across the layer-cake hills that originally hemmed in the valley to begin with. Albedo followed the others with a little difficulty at first, but he composed himself bit by bit as they went along, and soon enough the formidable alchemist seemed to be right as rain. Whether or not his companions still worried about him, of course, was another matter, and while neither Linkle nor Prisoner might care about the cold, Frisk certainly did. Once started, shivers were hard to stop, and no amount of conversation over the course of a half-hour or so would halt the cold’s relentless, grasping progress through the bodies of the travelers.

As such, when they spotted a telltale trail of smoke rising skyward from a site among the conifers a little higher up on Dragonspine, the groups concern’s made the chance for shelter and warmth made it an appealing prospect despite the detour. From the hills, however, they could also trace the path of the icy river onward, snaking through the mountain’s sparsely forested foothills toward a bay on the northeastern shore, where the faintest suggestions of a gray-brown township could be glimpsed through squinted eyes. The four found themselves faced with a choice: persevere and stay the course for their destination, or seek a reprieve on Dragonspine itself to make sure that everyone in the expedition could continue free of worry.