Within moments, the scenery around them had become a winter wonderland, full of snow and ice. It was progressing at an unnatural rate, but it was too late to complain. The group was more or less snowed in now, with the snow and the cold blanketing everything.
Sure, this would stop the progress of the Orcs without a doubt, but this was a very perilous situation. Everyone was huddled together in blankets now, and with some of the firewood they rescued, they had lit a fire in the middle of the bus to help generate warmth.
Everyone was freezing, and while they had used that fire to cook the meat as well so at least they were not hungry, they couldn't keep it up forever. They would need to save some firewood for the meat tomorrow after all.
Riku was trying to use his magic to help heat the bus, but he could only keep that up so much.
"We wont survive the next twenty four hours in snow like this".
"I think we could probably last twenty four hours, but if we get snowed in for a full day, after a day of rain, we will definently die. This bus would become our coffin".
"So what? We are supposed to go outside? Where would we go? We cant move the bus in this weather, and we have no idea how long this irregular weather will last!"
"I gotta say, you would think that the gods of this world would have divine power that wasn't incompatible with the world itself".
"Yeah, thats true. Its kind of weird".
"...it gets worse then that" Junta said, looking out the window. "I dont want to alarm anyone, but I think I just saw a dragon out there".
"A...dragon?"
"It was a giant lizard like creature with wings, so yeah. I think its a dragon. It seems like it didn't notice us yet though".
"Haaaaaaa....then we can shelve the dragon thing. Its not an issue right now, why even bring it up?"
Junta looked away sheepishly.
"Junta?"
"...dragons are cool".
"Eh?"
"Dragons are cool okay! I love fantasy novels with dragons in them! You got a problem with that?!"
"N-no".
Kobayashi was taken aback by such a revelation. He didn't expect such a thing from Junta, but apparently he loved dragons. It was kind of cute, but they didn't have much time to remark on it.
"So, does anyone, anyone at all, have any ideas of what we could do to not horriically die?"
"Mitsuki, I dont suppose..."
"It was summer! Summer! No, I did not bring my winter emergency kit!"
"Yeah, I thought so".
Even Mitsuki wasn't a godlike entitty, he didn't have everything packed and prepared. Certainly not sudden winter weather.
"First a landslide, and then a blizzard! I have been rationing so much, but I am hungry damnit!" Tamayo shouted.
"Yeah, I am pretty starving too...I know we just ate, but we basically skipped lunch, and our breakfast was light".
It was obvious to them they would not be able to last like this for much longer.
"There is only one choice. We will have to make full use of our magic, and we will drive this bus out of this mountain".
"In the snow, during this blizzard?"
"If we stay, we die. If we leave the bus, we die. So either we try to drive the bus through the snow, or we make the trek on foot".
"Thats insane!"
Yuika pointed out the facts, and Emiyo protested them.
"We will take the bus as far as we can...and then if needs be, we leave it and head to town on foot. But we cant stay here any longer. Considering the snow, ice magic might be easier, so we can make a bridge of ice across the chasm".
"...it took all of our energy to make those ice walls, I dont think we can make a bridge large enough and strong enough for the bus".
"Then...we dont have a choice. We will at least get the bus close to it, and then go on foot".
Endo shook his head.
"The snow is too thick. We wont be able to move the bus. You guys said the issue was the chasm right, that we had to make a detour around it? If one were able to race across the chasm, how close do you think that village is?"
"Walking in good weather? A day. But in this blizzard? Two days, at least".
"I can do it".
Kobayashi stated that, causing everyone to freak out a bit. Especially Mitsuki.
"Hold on! How? You are the weakest of us!"
"Yeah, but I am the lightest one who can use storm magic. My plan is...I will fly there using magic".
Mitsuki and Riku both had major concerns about this plan, as well as Yuika.
"Thats reckless!"
"Comemon Koba, use ya head!"
"Considering your history, this is a terrible idea".
"What other choice do we have?!"
Riku stood up.
"I will come with you. My flames will keep us warm, and your wind can keep us mobile. I can even turn my flames into explosions and propel us that way if needs be".
"And I can make us a ramp" Mitsuki said. "I can see it in your eyes, I recognize that look all too well. You are going to stubbornly do this and be reckless if we dont help, especially since you are right. If I make a ramp, and Riku and and You use flame and wind magic to propel us, we can get across the chasm...but we will still need to get all the way to the village".
Yuika looked at them.
"This is reckless, stupid....and its the only shot we have to survive. Without the three of you, are food supplies will last longer. So we really dont have a choice in the matter. However, we will still need to make some preparations. Junta, we need to make some rather quick hide armor for them".
"I have been working on some, let me just do a bit of work. It will really just be like leather padding, but it will help keep you warm".
"I will cast a longer lasting, passive warming spell, to make it easier on Riku-sempai".
"I will cast a cloak of darkness, to help keep you hidden from large monsters".
"Here, you can use these rainboots to walk a bit easier in the thick snow".
"And take the money we got from the knights".
"Thanks. We will buy whatever food and warm clothes we can to help. So, make sure you last till then".
The trio quickly made all their preparations. As a further measure, they tied a rope around each of their waists. Riku in front, Kobayashi in the middle, and Mitsuki in the rear. Riku and Mitsuki were adamant about this positioning.
Either way, they made all the preparations they could have, and they decided to set off immediately.
"Good luck".
"Yeah...if we fail, everyone dies after all. No pressure".
The three boys were already up to their waists or higher with snow, but they continued to push forward anyways. After they got out of the bus, they really pushed forward.
"Never before have I been glad for the temperature resistance of a track suit".
"The additional armor helps, but yeah. This is much better then I expected".
As Riku and Kobayashi made their mentions, Mitsuki sighed.
"Its probably an effect of them becoming magic items. We know they self repair after all".
"True..."
"Good point".
The landscape of pure white stretched across them, as they proceeded to go uphill. There were various parts where it was difficult to walk, but they always had at least one person holding onto a tree or rock at all times. They have been given a rough map made by Junta to follow, so that is what they decided to do. Still, the flurry of white obstructed their vision at every turn, and had it not been for the compass app in their phones, they would have been stuck. Thankfully, Mitsuki had recharged them all to full and showed everyone else how, so they were able to make progress.
Eventually they made it to higher ground, and it seemed the snow was less thick here. Mitsuki took out his binoculars, and checked the area.
"...I really hope Tamayo's spell is effective, because there is quite a good deal of movement all around us. Its all far away for now, but I see white shapes moving around other white".
"What about the chasm".
"I think I see it. Visibility is pretty terrible, so its hard to be sure. And honestly, the snow that keeps getting in from mysterious places is kinda distracting".
"Ya I feel ya!"
Still, they had to choice but to keep pressing forward. Kobayashi nearly slipped once or twice, but the snow was sort of helping to hold him in place as much as it was obstructing them.
However, right as they took one step, suddenly they lost their footing as where they tried to step on had turned out to be ice, causing Mitsuki and Kobayashi to slip. This in turn pulled Riku down, and they all started to slide down the hill. They felt like they were being used as a snow plow, only pulled instead of pushed. Or perhaps some sort of deranged water slide full of snow would be a better analogy.
Riku eventually managed to grab hold of a tree, holding on and using himself as an anchor to pull themselves out of the downward slope and make sure they dont get burried in the snow mound below.
The moment they got buried in snow in this blizzard, they died. And then everyone else died with them.
They had been transported to a fantasy world, but it looked like the weather was going to kill them before any monsters, demon kings, or evil villains did.
After regaining their footing, they continued forward and headed towards the chasm. The winter wind rushed through their ears, and the cold was catching up with them despite Shiki's heat ward, so Riku used flame magic to generate warmth within their bodies and make a stronger, but shorter lasting, heat shell.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
They made their way through some jagged rocks, when they finally approached the chasm. Not only that, but they could see a great deal of smoke coming from some distance behind the trees they could just see the tips of in the back on the other side of the chasm. That said, they could understand why it would be difficult to cross. It was quite wide, but it was even longer, at least longer then a kilometer, maybe two.
No, its probably even longer. We cant see the ends on either side, we must be looking right at the middle of the chasm. But still, we need to cross it.
With this in mind, they started to get to work. Riku pried a large piece of bark from a fallen tree after Kobayashi cut it up a bit with wind magic. Mitsuki meanwhile proceeded to make the ramp of ice they would use. The plan was simple. They would pick up momentum by using the slope to slide down, and then they would use that momentum to slide up the ramp and propel themselves across the chasm. Once that was done, Riku would use fire to mimic a combustion force effect like a jet engine, at least to the best that he could, and Kobayashi would use wind magic to propel them further through the sky across the chasm. Once they landed, and checked their magical energy, they would then fly using storm magic. There was three of them, but they figured they could make it at least part of the way. Once that was done, they would trek the rest of the way to the village, and get supplies, food, warm clothes, maybe even a magic tool. It was impossible for Shiki and Riku to keep everyone heated, they didn't have endless reserves of mana. Riku was trying to conserve enough for the jump, but he was still pushing himself a bit.
Then they would just have to make it back there with the supplies. They were carrying the three largest backpacks they could find, and the return trip would be even more difficult since they would be weighed down, but they didn't have much choice in the matter.
Once their work was ready, they all dragged the large piece of bark they were using as a sled up the hill. It was tough and strenuous, the cold was sapping their strength and it was really hard because of how thick and heavy the snow was. Kobayashi was starting to strain himself, so Riku and Mitsuki had to take up more of the burden. They couldn't risk a collapse now after all.
Once they had the slope and ramp ready, they all timed each other.
"Three".
"Two".
"One!"
They all hopped into the sled, and it went rushing down the slope and path they prepared. Even in such a situation, they couldn't help but let out screams of joy and excitement. The sled reached the bottom and then rushed up the ramp, going flying right over the chasm. And yet...
"Kobayashi! Riku! We need more thrust!"
"Try to help as well!"
"I am!"
They knew it was a risk, but certainly the jump even with magic to help propel them was coming up a bit short. They put in all their effort, to boost their speed further.
"Crap...we are going to hit the edge! Everyone, brace and get ready to jump!"
As they reached the very edge of the chasm, the sled hit the corner. The three of them jumped out, and Mitsuki and Kobayashi managed to grab some rocks and climb up, but as Riku did the same, it turned out to be icey, and he lost his grip. He started to slide off the edge, so he desparately tried to grab onto something to stop and pull himself up, but it was all snow and ice and nothing worked.
He tried taking out a dagger and stabbed it into the ground, but it was all snow and ice so it failed miserably and it was knocked out of his hand.
"Guys!"
"Riku!"
"Riku! Hang on!"
Riku was unable to cling onto anything, and fell off the edge and into the chasm below. He didn't get very far through, as the rope stopped him, but that weight caused Kobayashi to start losing his grip and was pulled closer to the chasm as well.
Mitsuki used magic to make ice footings for himself, and to help hold him in place as Kobayashi panicked, trying to hold on but slipped closer and closer to the edge, and Riku dangled off the cliff. The dark chasm below stared Riku right in the face, and he let out a bit of sweat as he realized how close to death he had just been. The cold icy wind traced across his cheeks, as if death was enticing him downwards into oblivion.
Oh no oh no, im going to die! And they might end up dying with me!
He panicked quite a bit as he struggled in the middle of the air, flailing helplessly for a moment as the situation had overwhelmed him for a moment.
"Riku! Start climbing!"
"R-right! Sorry! Hold on guys, I will be up in a moment!"
The cliff made a bit of a cracking noise, and there was no telling if the rope would hold or not. Furthermore, Riku couldn't be sure if the rope holding or breaking would be the better outcome. Still, he rallied himself.
I gotta climb up. I am the only one who can use fire magic here! They might freeze without me! I cant die! No...I dont want to die! I wont make my friends sad!
Riku managed to grab the rope that connected them, and started to climb up it to reach the top. This caused Kobayashi to slip further towards the edge, as he desparately hung on. Not only that, but he could hear cracking below him.
Oh no...
"Riku, this cliff isn't stable! Hurry up!"
Riku didn't have to climb far, and managed to grasp the edge right as Kobayashi went over. This nearly pulled him right back off and also pulled Mitsuki off as well, but Riku managed to hold on better this time, grabbing Kobayashi's hand in the process and swinging him clockwise, using the momentum to throw him back onto the cliff as Kobayashi used storm magic to help push himself back up as well. Mitsuki stabilized himself, and then Riku managed to climb up the chasm as well and made it to solid ground.
And yet the ground under them started to crack and crumble. They quickly got to their feet and ran towards the forest, as the very ground began to crumble behind them, falling into the chasm below. They just managed to reach safety before the ground itself fell out below them.
Kobayashi then looked over at Riku.
"Is your arm okay?"
"Yeah. The fact we are all stronger now helps...I do think I strained it a little".
"Come on, we need to get there as fast as we can. We need to conserve enough mana for the trip home after all".
The three of them continued to make the trek through the heavy snow, fighting against nature itself. It was thick, wet, and unpleasant, and their amount of magic was not enough to feel the deathly chill of this cold trying to overtake them. Still, they could see the smoke through the trees, it was getting closer and closer. They didn't have too much further to go.
However, Kobayashi was near his limits. He could feel himself being nearly depleted. That situation had taken a lot out of him. Mitsuki and Riku noticed this too, but unfortunately between the backpacks and their weight load, they couldn't give him a piggyback ride. They would need to tough it out and reach there before Kobayashi collapsed.
However, it wasn't just Kobayashi who was feeling the strain. Riku and Mitsuki had been handling most of the physical stuff all the way here, and had already been prioritizing taking as much effort off from Kobayashi as possible. Because of that, they were near their own limits as well. Mitsuki was never really good at sports of being physical, so Riku was the only one who had some wiggle room, and the situation back there had expended a lot of his mental health, looking at that abyss and nearly dying like that.
Still, the trio managed to get so close...when finally, Kobayashi hit his limits and collapsed. Riku and Mitsuki tried to pull him along as best they could, but Mitsuki was essentially only half conscious. He just started to faint, when he saw some sort of large shadow approach them.
By the time Kobayashi and Mitsuki woke up, they felt pleasantly warm. It felt like they had been given a warm embrace, and everything felt like it was recovering.
That was when Kobayashi remembered what they were doing, and jolted awake. Rather then a cold, dark forest, they were laying down in a bed in a nice room with a fireplace. The fire was lit, and next to the fire was all their clothes and the hide armor they had made in a hurry. As they had been trekking through snow that went up to their waists at least, naturally they had all become quite soggy. Kobayashi and Mitsuki were completely naked, but they were put in a bed moved close to the fire that was also drying their clothes, and they were wrapped in incredibly warm blankets.
Riku was sitting in a chair next to them, also naked and wrapped in a blanket, sipping what smelled like hot coco.
"Oh good, you guys woke up..."
"Riku, where are we?"
"Ah, some hunters who were patroling for any predators disturbed by the weird weather, worried they might attack the village, when they found us. They brought us to this in, and gave us a lot of things to warm up".
"Is that hot coco?"
"There are two cups on the table next to you both".
Kobayashi and Mitsuki both picked up a mug, and proceeded to drink it. It helped warm them from the inside, however Kobayashi had a flash of worry.
"Wait Riku, what about..."
"Ah, I see you boys are all awake" a woman said as she entered. Although clearly a woman, she was quite tall and had well defined arms. She had a bow and a quiver to her side. Kobayashi and Riku quickly gathered up the blankets that had fallen off them and covered themselves, embarassed to be naked in front of a stranger, and an adult woman stranger at that.
"Mmmhmm....yeah, thank you" Kobayashi said sheepishly.
"If its about why you are here, your red headed friend explained it to us. We are putting together some things for you, and Riku already paid for it. Well, considering the situation and how desparate you were to send you three cute boys, we gave a fair discount out of consideration".
"Ahh, thank you".
"I am still curious to learn how a bunch of kids got stranded so far into the forest, but Riku-kun just told me that it was complicated, and would take way longer to explain then anyone could afford right now".
"Yeah...thanks for the help".
"No probs. Still, really weird weather. Guess the gods are playing tricks today".
"E-eh?" Kobayashi reacted nervously.
"Oh, you never heard of that expression? Its just a popular old term, when weather is weird or people get weirdly sick, its a popular saying to say that the gods are playing pranks".
Ahahahahaha....yeah, thats not an expression. Its a fact. And I deeply apologize!
"In any case, we got some food for you to fuel up on. The trek back should be easier on a full stomach after all, and Riku didn't hold back. Well, considering the situation, we did give a major discount. Seemed like the right thing to do".
Riku noticed they never said free, just discount. They probably still used quite a bit of money, but at the same time, it meant they wouldn't owe them anything which helped.
"You should be careful and leave those woods as soon as you can though. Some knights came by a week ago. Apparently there have been increased orc sightings by adventurers. Considering they are D or C-Rank monsters alone, and tend to operate in groups, you should be careful".
"Yeah, we had been planning to move as a large group and get away, but then the weather hit".
"Ah, yeah. That would make moving in a large group difficult. Well, for now you all can just focus on getting warm and filling up. You plan to leave as soon as you can right? I can see it in your eyes".
As the boys nodded, suddenly another man came in. He more or less barged his way in, and started looking at Riku first, then Mitsuki, and then his eyes rested on Kobayashi, focusing a bit more.
"Oh. What wonderfully cute boys you have here. So its true you took them in! You know, if they owe money, I bet they would be quickly bought if you made them debt slaves, would pay back everything plus interest quite fast! Especially that small girl...no, boy? Well, either way, would be a fast and efficient deal".
The hunter glared at him.
"They all paid properly. Furthermore, they are only ten or eleven years old".
"Debt slaves have no age restrictions. Of course, should ttthey try to skip town, and you wish to make them become prison slaves..."
"Shut your mouth, scum" the woman said, giving him a glare of scorn. He seemed to take the hint and back off, but he still eyed the three boys with greed. "Sorry about that, that scum's carriage arrived the day before yesterday, but due to the weather, he has not moved on".
"...yeah. I dont like the way he looks at me".
"Yeah. Ill be honest, id be careful. There are rumors that guy kidnaps people and forces them into slavery. If we could, we would run the guy out of town, but we cant really do that with this weather".
Great, now we have that person's attention. I dont think he will follow us in the snowstorm, but its possible he plans to head to the same city we plan to. So we should be careful all the same.
Kobayashi, Riku, and Mitsuki had such thoughts as food was brought to their room. Riku had gotten them quite the feast, and they could package any leftovers as additional supplies for the trip back. Still, given everything, and given the fact they had been skipping so many meals the past week, they feasted today.
Once they were done eating, and their clothes were dried, they got dressed. However, not just the hide armor, as minor as it was, reinforcing them, they also had heavy coats now they could wear on the way back. They were light but warm. They also got proper snow boots, gloves, and warm hats. With all of this, when they got their supplies, and started to head back to the group, their pace was much better. It was still hard and tough, and they still tied themselves together with rope. But now that they had eaten, they felt their physical strength returning to them.
"Is he following us?"
"I asked Maura-neesan to keep an eye on him and obstruct him for us, so we should be good".
"...do you think we should have told them about the knights and the orcs?"
Yes, they had neglected to mention the battle that occurred. Riku shook his head in response.
"I saw how she was worried. Ya would have never been allowed to leave if she knew the knights had been butchered, and the supplies might not have made it back".
"That was my worry as well".
"Riku spent the most time with her, so I figured that might be your reason".
As they said that, the three boys suddenly felt a shiver down their spines. It wasn't from the cold though, they felt something was watching them. The eyes of a predator looking at prey, that was what they felt.
"Now that I think about it, she did mention that predators had been disrupted by the sudden change in weather, didn't she?"
"Yeah....hey, Kobayashi, about all that magic power you were saving for the return trip back..."
"Yeah yeah, I know! Everyone hold on and dont break physical contact!"
As they heard vibrations of a large beast approaching, Riku and Mitsuki grabbed onto Kobayashi, as he infused the power of wind into all of them and sent them flying into the sky. Mitsuki meanwhile was using his magic to avoid dropping or losing anything, and Riku then used his flames to make them go even faster. Several large ice spikes shot out from the trees below, nearly skewering them, but Kobayashi managed to dodge them all. They went and even shot themselves over the chasm.
"THats great Kobayashi! We are clear!"
"Thats good...because I am out of magical energy!"
Hearing that, Riku proceeded to use his flames to slow them down as Kobayashi tried to set them on the ground, and Mitsuki used his magic to help slow them down and provide a cushion for landing. They ended up falling face first into the snow, but everyone was able to stand up afterwards.
"...not even thirty seconds of flight time".
"Yeah...you know, I am super jealous of those isekai protags with cheat abilities or even just exceedingly large mana pools now".
"Yeah..."
Kobayashi stood up, but due to being low on magical energy, he felt a bit feint.
"Come on, we need to hurry back to the bus, before we run into another predator...or worse".
It was already night time, with a full moon up. The flight had exhausted all of Kobayashi's magical energy, and he had just been filled back up thanks to the rest and the food from earlier. It was clear that flying was not going to be a feesible option to use a lot.
----------------------------------------
By the time they got back, most of them were passed out, but everyone was clearly cold and shivering. They had used up the last of the firewood as well, so Riku quickly got out some of the firewood they brought and lit a fire. This caused everyone to stir.
"You guys...you got back earlier then we expected".
Yuika said that, but Kobayashi was already collapsed on the floor asleep. Mitsuki and Riku helped to take off his backpack, and then distributed the food and supplies.
"We got plenty, and they were very helpful. So quickly, lets get everyone fed and warm. Put on these jackets, and use these blankets. We can personally attest to how good they are".
"Understood".
They proceeded to help cook and heat up the meat, but in the mean time, they had some things like sandwiches and other things to help give their bodies more energy. That night, they ate better then they had the past few days combined.
By the time the sun rose, the snow had finally stopped falling, and the skies were showing some signs of daybreak even.