[center][h3]The Chalk Prince and the Skullgirl, the Prisoner, and Frisk[/h3]
Frisk’s [@Majoras End], the Prisoner’s [@XoXKieroBombXoX][/center]

Eager for warmth and rest at long last after a harrowing winter’s night on Dragonspine, Frisk set off with Teba, Joel, Joserf, and the Prisoner in tow. The countless spots of distant light in the cosmos above mirrored the snow-white landscape below, dotted as it was by the azure glimmer of so many blue flowers, the earth and heavens connected by beams of moonlight to make clear the travelers’ northwestern path. Trudging through the earth beneath that starry night felt almost dreamlike, as if this mystical, ephemeral realm might fade away at any moment. At times even the moon itself looked oddly hollowed, as if [url=https://i.imgur.com/zpr1hJk.png]chiseled away[/url] by some celestial carver in a fundamentally unwholesome manner, and for a moment it seemed as though a second moon drifted above the World of Light to keep the incomplete moon company. Yet the moment Frisk so much as blinked her eyes, it was gone, so suddenly and without ceremony that she couldn’t help but wonder if that second moon ever really existed in the first place. Now that her adrenaline had faded, fatigue swept in to take its place, and phantoms sprang readily to a tired mind.

The small party met with Linkle and Albedo on the way, prompting a brief recap of the events already explained to Frisk. For her part the Skullgirl couldn’t be happier to see father and son reunited, and while Albedo agreed, the way he kept looking at Joserf once everyone got moving again suggested a subtle distrust. As the starlit darkness gave way to the stretch of riverbed illuminated by radiant trees and effulgent crystals, and electric lights revealed the angular outlines of the long sought-after port town, the vague feelings of mystery and menace that clung to the travelers melted away. Numb from the cold, they made it through the final stretch and dragged their weary feet into the town together.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/vWoFKlw.png[/img][/center]

True to its appellation, this place looked like nothing more than a humble twenty-first century fishing village, ferreted far away from the civilized world on some remote, frigid Canadian coast. It featured only a couple handfuls of buildings, most of them utilitarian, with the largest [url=https://i.imgur.com/E6Z29fo.png]compound[/url] surrounded by a tall barbed-wire fence. It possessed none of the rustic charm of Snowdin and offered the tired travelers nothing in terms of a warm welcome, but the [url=https://i.imgur.com/9AlHtgY.png]wooden lodge[/url] that sat upon the slope above the town confirmed that people did live here, at least. On one side of the docks sat a promising [url=https://i.imgur.com/ugqljS4.jpg]chalet[/url] with great glass windows that betrayed some light from within. Whether or not the people here would be welcoming to strangers, especially at such a late hour, Albedo couldn’t say. One thing was clear, however: the original plan to take a boat from here to Edinburgh would absolutely have to wait until the next morning.

After confirming this with Linkle and Frisk, Albedo approached Teba in the hopes of asking about any accommodations this tiny town might be able to offer. If he and the others were going to spend the night, after all, they’d need a place in from the cold to stay, and ideally food at some point. Short and to the point as usual, Teba recommended the seaside chalet, then bid the others farewell. Joel and Joserf left together, with the boy leading his amnesiac father to their home. Even in the dead of night, the youngster knew well the path. That just left the original group who set out from Snowdin, plus a certain sentient pustule along for the ride. “Let us heed Teba’s instruction, then,” the alchemist stated, and the party started moving again.

As he made his way across town, however, Albedo began to get the impression that there might be more to this place than met the eye–and he didn’t mean the miracle of electricity, incredible as it still seemed to him. While at first he just assumed the village to be run-down and neglected, the cracks, holes, gashes, craters, and burns scattered across the walls and walkways told a different story. It looked to him like battle damage, and recent at that. As he passed, a couple of the spaces that at first glance appeared vacant actually harbored the wreckage of other wooden buildings. Meanwhile, one of the few spots with the lights still on turned out to be a clinic, where the [url=https://i.imgur.com/vimRDCh.png]local sawbones[/url] seemed to be looking after a good half-dozen wounded men, women, and creatures.

From a distance Albedo spotted a wide, [url=https://i.imgur.com/YCXF4ew.png]red-haired fellow[/url] with a colorful collar and viking hat speaking to a very slender woman in a lightly armored suit, wearing a asymmetric helmet composed of many overlaid, spiraling strips like ribbons, but before his group got close the pair split up. The man, looking very much put-out, shook his head as he made his way toward the clinic. Meanwhile the woman happened to cross paths with Albedo’s group by the docks, as she headed for a curious [url=https://i.imgur.com/XXj0NP2.png]whale-shaped ship[/url]. She glanced at them only once as she stalked past beneath the glare of a dock light, one hand perched on her hip. Only her lime-green eyes could be seen beneath her cherry-red getup, and her gaze lingered for a moment on Frisk. Then she went on her way.

As it turned out, the chalet was open, though the [url=https://i.imgur.com/AwtlieS.png]white-furred goat[/url] who answered the bell looked rather sleepy. Still, Chevre made an effort to be as kind as she could, and offered the newcomers some spare rooms at a very reasonable price for spending the night if they had no other business to attend to in town. She also mentioned a courtesy continental breakfast to be provided the following morning. “Thank you, ma’am,” Albedo told her. As she hoofed it back to bed, he went on to address the others. “Let’s all make sure to rest well, recuperate, and catch the first ferry to Edinburgh MagikaPolis tomorrow morning. See you then.”

Before going to bed himself, however, Albedo went back outside to do a little extra looking around. Contrary to his initial impressions, this fishing village really piqued his curiosity, and it would be difficult to retire for the night with his urge to learn unsatisfied.