Chapter 421 The Avalanche

As the wind howled, Hermit’s instincts kicked in. His wide goblin eyes darted to the wooden box as the snow around it whipped into a blinding blur. The hatchlings inside squeaked in panic, their tiny claws scrabbling against the sides.

“No—no no no!” he gasped, stumbling through the gale.

He threw himself forward, arms outstretched and curled his body over the box just as the wind struck. Snow and shards of ice lashed against his hunched back like tiny knives, the air howling in his ears. He grunted, barely able to breathe, but he didn’t move.

His thin body formed a crude shield, arms wrapped protectively around the box. Inside, the hatchlings whimpered and clung to each other, their tiny noses poking out through the straw.

“I got you,” Hermit muttered through chattering teeth, eyes squeezed shut.

 “I got you, little gobbos. Don’t be scared…”

Inside, the hatchlings were trembling, their tiny bodies curled together in a pile of damp straw. One had straw stuck in its nose, another had a little scrape on its cheek where the wood had splintered. Their wide, glassy eyes blinked up at him—confused, scared, helpless.

“Shhh, shhh… it’s all right now,” Hermit whispered, lowering his face closer to theirs, his own features soft despite the welts forming on his frostbitten skin.

 “See? You’re safe. Dada Hermit’s still here.”

One of the hatchlings reached up with a tiny hand and touched his nose. Another let out a pitiful little hiccup and buried itself deeper into the straw. 

“I know, I know, scary big wind lady tossed us like old turnips. But she didn’t get you, oh no. You’re tougher than her. Stronger. Smarter, even! We’re gonna get you somewhere warm soon, just gotta be brave a bit longer, eh?”

Still strapped awkwardly to Hermit’s hunched back, Kaka stirred with a low groan. The vines dug deeper into his raw skin with every jolt, but he clenched his jaw and turned his head as much as his battered neck allowed.

He had heard the hatchlings’ whimpers, felt Hermit’s trembling through his own ribs. Even in his weakened state, he couldn’t bear to hear the tiny ones cry.

“L-little ones… You... you still there?”

A chorus of soft sniffling met his ears. He couldn’t see them, but he knew their presence—small and scared, clinging together.

He tried to chuckle, though it came out more like a wheeze. 

“Heh… what’s all this fussin’? That wind? Pfft... barely a breeze, eh? Back in my day, we used to sleep through snowstorms worse than that with nothin’ but rat skins and a broken bucket.”

One of the hatchlings let out a confused squeak. Another hiccuped.

Kaka managed a crooked smile, though it pulled at the bruises on his face.

 “Don’t be scared now. You’ve got Hermit, and me, and that scary-lookin’ tall girl with the sword. No one’s gonna let nothin’ happen to you. Not while old Kaka’s still breathin’. And I’m breathin’, ain’t I?”

His eyes fluttered a moment, exhausted, but he kept talking.

 “You just snuggle in real close… think of somethin’ warm. Soup, maybe. Or... fire. Or even one of them big fat moths you like to chase.”

Hermit glanced over his shoulder, his face tight with guilt and gratitude.

 “Thanks, Kaka…”

Suzuka stood, one eye twitching as snowflakes slipped down the back of her neck and into places far too sacred for mountain weather.

“This—” she shouted, shaking a clump of slush from her cleavage, “—is officially the worst morning of my entire miserable life!”

Her eye twitched again as another icy bit found its way past the collar of her armor. That was it.

“That’s enough.”

The ground beneath her feet gave a warning groan. Air thickened, dense and heavy with unseen force as a shimmer of black-purple light danced around her boots. 

BOOM.

In a sudden release, gravity buckled outward in a controlled explosion. Snow vaporized in a wide radius. Rocks cracked. The very air snapped. A concussive pulse of gravitational force burst from her like a tantrum given form.

Hermit let out a squawk, his arms flailing around the box of hatchlings as he was launched through the air like a stuffed sack. 

“Nyeeeeee—!”

Kaka's dull wheeze trailed behind as the vine-bound goblin elder rode his son like an unwilling backpack missile. They smashed into a deep snowbank with a satisfying, muffled thump.

The box skidded across the ice, spun twice, and smashed Hermit in the face. A tiny hatchling paw poked out from under the lid, dazed but unharmed.

Suzuka didn’t even look back.

She cracked her neck left, then right.

 “Now… where were we?!”

Her boots sunk into the crater she had made. Hair swirling in the air still dense with magic, she lifted her chin and glared across the field.

“I’m done babysitting! Let’s dance, lavender lady!”

Zylithia’s eyes glinted with amusement, her voice as smooth as silk, but there was a trace of concern beneath the teasing tone.

“Oh, my dear silly girl… Do you even know where you are?”

Her gaze flickered across Suzuka’s form, admiring her confidence with a hint of playful condescension.

 “You’re up here in the mountains. Very high up. And the snowstorm? It’s no mere inconvenience, trust me. It’s a blizzard. Using magic like that... so recklessly... well, it’ll cause an avalanche."

Suzuka blinked in confusion, clearly not understanding the full extent of what Zylithia was warning her about. 

“Avalanche...? I’m not really familiar with these kinds of things... First time up in the mountains. And I’ve definitely never seen this much snow before. You’ll have to forgive me. Never really had to worry about... snow slides before. But, hey," she lifted one hand dismissively, "if it happens, it happens. I’m not exactly worried. Not unless I’m buried under a mountain of snow, right?”

“Well, I suppose for someone who’s never truly seen the mountains, it could sound like some bedtime tale. But let me paint you a picture. The mountains will shake, the snow will fall, and everything here will come down on top of us. Unpleasant, wouldn't you say? I really wouldn’t want to ruin such a pretty little face. Or worse... squish your precious goblins under all this snow, now, would I? So, maybe it’s time you think this through a little more carefully before we continue, hmm? I’m all for fun, but I’d hate to see you trapped in this... icy embrace.”

As soon as Zylithia finished her ominous words, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled. The snowflakes swirling around them seemed to shift, almost as if they were caught in some unseen, powerful force. The deep rumbling echoed through the mountains like the growl of a beast awakening from slumber.

Suzuka's eyes widened in alarm as the noise grew louder, the earth vibrating more with each passing second. She looked around, feeling the tremors grow stronger beneath her boots. The wind howled, adding to the chaotic sounds of nature’s fury, and then—

Rumble...

The mountain groaned, as if the very bones of the earth were shifting. Snow and ice cracked, the sound deafening in the midst of the blizzard. Suzuka’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned her head toward Zylithia.

“Oh, speak of the devil... Looks like you caused one after all.” 

Suzuka’s eyes snapped wide with panic. 

"Wait—what?! You—"

Zylithia cut her off with a light, almost teasing chuckle.

 "Well then, I would love to stick around and enjoy more of your delightful company, but..." She took a step backward, and a gust of wind whipped around her, sending snow swirling up in a wild frenzy.

"...I’d rather not get buried in this snowstorm. Ta-ta, love.”

Before Suzuka could even react, Zylithia vanished, her form swallowed by the blizzard as if she had never been there at all. The swirling snow closed in, erasing the demoness from sight.

Suzuka stood frozen for a moment, heart racing, the sound of the rumbling avalanche growing louder with each passing second. The snow beneath her feet shifted once again, and she glanced around.

"Shit... Well, I crushed a whole mountain how hard can it be to stop a little bit of snow.”

Behind her, the ground trembled once more. The rumbling was unmistakable now, louder than ever, and it was getting closer.

Hermit froze mid-flail, clutching the hatchling box like it was a cursed idol.

 “That doesn’t sound like a friendly rumble! Is that—did you—SHE did this! She cracked the mountain! Again!”

Suzuka dusted her shoulder with theatrical calm, leaning back with an exaggerated sigh.

 “Tch. Overdramatic goblin. It’s just snow. I’ve got this.”

She raised her hand. Her gravity magic pulsed like a heartbeat through the air, ready to shove the falling mountain back into the clouds where it belonged.

But then—

“Wait, WAIT! What if the hatchlings get SQUASHED?!” Hermit wailed.

 “Master Helen! Don’t die! I’m too small to be in charge!”

Suzuka squinted through the blizzard, teeth gritted.

 “Would you SHUT UP for one sec—?”

CRACK.

From the white void, a massive tree trunk—snapped and hurled by the storm—smashed into her head mid-turn. Her eyes barely widened before the impact launched her into the air like a ragdoll.

She vanished into the snowdrift followed by a pitiful, “Ughhh... damn... tree...”

Hermit’s eyes bulged. 

“Master Heleeeeeeeeen!!”