[01] Arctic Sector

[Belle Hibiki]

Belle liked to think that he was a pretty well-traveled sort of guy. Sure, most of his time lately had been spent aboard the Maiden's Dream, but until then, most of his life had been spent wandering the world. His father either couldn't afford a home or hadn't wanted one, and over the years Belle had learned how to survive in all the exotic lands he had found himself in.

But at least those lands had had trees. Or grass. Or at least other living things. Standing ankle deep in the snow on a low hillside, Belle peered straight into the heart of the approaching snowstorm and quietly doubed whether either of those things existed here.

"Great, just what I needed," Belle gritted his teeth to keep them from chattering together. He'd built up a significant resistance to the elements, but that didn't mean that he was immune. Too long out there and he would succumb to sickness - or worse.

Someone had mentioned something in the rules about everyone needing to go to a bunker from time to time. Deciding that there was no time like the present, Belle steeled himself against he chill and trudged forward.

It was far worse than he had expected. Instead of finding traction, his feet simply slid into the snow. The storms must have just started recently, he realized. If the snow had been there for some time already, it should have been harder packed than that. Did it have something to do with the Dante people? Were they responsible? He guessed it was possible, though how anyone could create a premature winter was totally beyond him.

His foot was beginning to get numb. Yanking himself out of the hole with a wet shlorp, Belle took another step and watched in irritation as his foot sank even deeper than before. "Oh, come on...!"

It was going to take him days to get anywhere at this rate. Luckily, he didn't have to settle for taking steps one at a time. Steadying himself, Belle relaxed his muscles, focused, and leapt.

There was another soft slurping sound as his feet came free, but he could barely hear it this time through the whistling of wind in his ears. He soared above the snow in a wide arc, came down lightly, then jumped again before he could sink. The biting cold wind pricked at his face as he sailed through the air. He hoped the bunkers weren't too small; he'd have a job spotting one them in this storm.

He landed, jumped again. But as he came down this time, the snow under his feet abruptly shifted from the impact. Belle skidded a yard down the gentle slope on one foot before the slushy water slipped away from him completely and he landed on his back. Instead of stopping, Belle kept on going as his momentum shot him down the hill like a runaway bobsled.

"Br-r-r-r-r!" Belle chattered, reaching out with a hand to try and stop his descent. His fingers carved deep lines through the fluffy snow, but didn't slow him down one bit. Each sharp bump sliced like an icy knife into his back, until at last it seemed like he was starting to slow down. The obscuring storm parted ahead of him, and revealed -

"WAHHHH?!"

Rushing towards him was not the bottom of a hill, but the opaline blue of an arctic sky. Instead of taking him to the top of a snowy knoll, the runners of the tournament had transported him to the edge of a cliff!

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Belle swung around to dig both sets of fingers hard into the snow. It helped, but it didn't look like it was going to be enough. He felt his feet swing out over open air, then his chest. And then, miraculously, his shoulders wrenched as he yanked to a dead stop.

Belle trembled. Suspended only by his fingers, he looked down over the edge to the steep mountainside far below. "Whew. Man," he breathed. "Close call."

As if on queue, the storm rushed around him, howling like an angry banshee. Icy wind blasted at his sides, tossing him like a ragdoll and dashing him agaisnt the cliff face. He felt the snow and rock shift underneath his fingers, and yanked his head around just in time to see them break away in his hands.

Belle let out a sharp yelp as he spiraled through the storm. He reached out to grab the cliff-face, seeking another handhold, but his fingers found nothing but smoothly worn rock. He stretched out again, but the wind pulled him away.

Darkness. Then... WHAM! Belle's numbed side throbbed with pain as he slammed into another blanket of snow, tumbled, then flopped at least another twenty yards down the slope, end over end, before he finally managed to stop himself.

Squinting his eyes open, Belle groggily cursed God or Buddha or whoever it was that ran the universe in a way that he hadn't done in a long time. Cog would have certainly stopped him from saying some of the profane things he was uttering, but not here. Not now. Shaking slightly, he pushed himself onto his feet, staggered, and then bent down to rest his hands on his knees. His side seemed fine aside from a dull ache. The adrenaline was still pumping furiously through his veins. He'd pay for that hit later, but at least he knew what to expect -

Chuff.

- now?

Belle tilted his head. There was a new sound now, just audible over the sound of the storm's moaning howls. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. The sound was new. If he had to guess, it was something like the sound of large waves crashing on a distant shore, but it wasn't quite like that.

He looke dup slowly. If possible, he stiffened even more as a tide of white rushed down the mountain towards him at unthinkable speed. "Oh... Uh...

"Shit!" He turned around and started jumping down the mountain, not even caring about the danger now. "Avalanche!"