>>5501230`
Once the blockage that sealed the western sewer tunnel was cleared, your extensive group proceeded through it with the humans at the vanguard carrying the sled, you four Elin in the middle, and Quon trailing not far behind.
Noticeably absent from the tunnel is the visceral waste and fetid brown wastewater that runs plentifully through the main sewer passage. Indeed, only a rare accumulation of filth, likely from the barracks, could be spotted floating through the meltwater. Relatedly, also missing from this tunnel is the sticky warmth that made traversal of the foul sewers arguably preferable to frigid outside.
The icy stream heading toward the sea rises barely to your ankles, but it’s more than enough to sap the warmth that you accumulated within Maturation Pit.
Visibly and audibly shivering, Mian is ostensibly the one most affected of your group, but her demeanor is still bright and eager to put the Maturation Pit far behind her.
Conversely, Alys is doing fairly well to hide the effects of the cold seeping into her body, but suffers greatly in secret given the physical toll her new body has taken in the past few days. Her hand tightly grips yours for stability, and from your animal ears you can occasionally here the grinding noise of her teeth as she suppresses her shivering and pain.
Ahead of you, you catch Luca repeatedly eyeing the two of you over his shoulder. Eventually, he calls Mishenne to take his place propping the makeshift sled out of the water and slows his pace to fall back while still looking forward.
Before he can hear you, you lean in close to Alys’ ear and barely whisper. “Remember, expressionless. She wouldn’t even feel the cold.”
Still facing the tunnel ahead, the young human clears his throat. “Is everything alright with her? Rather, is there anything I could help with?” He sighs as he rubs the back of his neck, and then looks toward Alys. “I know what I said earlier was harsh, and we disagreed about what should’ve happened. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop protecting you…”
