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Ernst had taken to carrying his tower shield around the hotel. It made him feel kind of stupid - it, more than anything, looked like an ancient weapon, and moreover he wasn't that great at holding it in proper position yet. He'd passed the safety training, at least, but his memories of that event were fading quick. Sure, he'd been kind of warned, but he hadn't really known what to expect, and he definitely thought he'd be getting a lot more combat training before he was allowed to actually fight stuff. But as he'd just learned, there was no one really in charge of the recruits here, and he was actually allowed to go out and fight birds whenever he wanted.

Not that he wanted. Still, though: the constant risk of attack meant he liked having it with him, especially since it was kind of okay fortification in a pinch.

It was definitely drawing him looks, though. In all fairness, the people here were probably not accustomed to seeing medieval weaponry. But they'd all been through a lot, and they all understood the necessity of carrying it around. Ernst hoped. He was traveling to another janitor's closet, or something, to see whether there was more stuff he could salvage there, when someone approached him.

"Yeah?" he said, lowering the shield so that he looked less threatening. Because she did look very threatened, eyes crinkling at the corner with distress. It didn't take much more than that to get her talking, though. Apparently her husband was missing, and she didn't have a weapon. It wasn't like Ernst could just give this shield to her, though - she probably didn't even have any idea how to use it. Actually, Ernst still felt like he had no idea how to use it. And, well, he didn't have an active assignment, or anything. If there was even anyone around to give him active assignments. "I'll see what I can do," he told her, careful not to look down at his long, thin limbs while she was watching. He had to be poised, right? "But I'm gonna go for reinforcements first," he added quickly. Hahaha, he was not gonna go out there alone.

Davor had given him his room number earlier, right? Well, there was no time like the present for an invasion of space. That guy was built, and Ernst definitely wanted Davor on his team. He headed up to the room and knocked, rather firmly, on the door.

Davor hadn't really protested when he found he had a tag-along-slash-intruder following him to his room. He'd held the door open, wordlessly, allowed her to settle in, then gave her so wide a berth one might think think he was still afraid of cooties. Maybe the assignment changed. Certainly his plans had changed, prosthetic arm staying on, booze staying stashed, and not so much dozing as just sort of trying to look more interested than he was in one of the magazines provided by the hotel, showing off a great many things to do in the area that he would never get a chance to.

The knock at the door brought him to attention in guilty almost-relief. It wasn't that he didn't like Erica, no; she'd never given him any grief really, it just... well. He glanced at her as she spoke, not at all eased by the weapon she carried. Sharp edges just had that effect on him, yes, strange he knew, and he quickly got up with a muttered "I've got it."

He wasn't exactly sure who to expect at the door, but the young man he had to look up at to speak to was partly surprising, partly not. Seems they were already becoming familiar to each other, which, okay. That was necessary, he supposed. It was inevitable. "Hello, Ernst," he greeted as amiably as his weary voice would allow. Either the other Chosen needed something or was also inviting himself in; whatever it was, Davor would not waste his words asking, knowing by now that the other man as one to speak first.

Erica wasn't sure exactly why she had agreed to join Ernst in his quest to find some woman's missing husband. It wasn't in her nature to be very helpful, let alone in her nature to risk her life for someone else. These weren't normal birds they were facing; they were metal, glittering in the light reflecting all around them, and had poisonous dung. Given those facts, her missing husband was probably more than missing--he was probably dead.

At least this was a good opportunity to take down a few birds for study; there had to be things to learn about the birds that would help them clean up the Alps and head back to the Prytaneum. If she could do this while sustaining minimal harm by utilizing the height of Davor and Ernst to her advantage, even better.

She quickly darted out after Ernst. He and his shield were so tall that she could hide behind him easily. She twisted so that their backs faced each other and she could use her axe to beat back the birds while he covered her back. "Focus on moving us forward; I've got your back."

She took a vicious swing at a bird, sending it screeching even as she had to close her eyes and duck away from the dung that was falling on them. She gestured with her free hand and called out, "Come on, Davor! Sweet, metallic, feathery injury is waiting and two isn't a party!"

HP: 47/47

Erica felt tiny against his back, which made sense considering she was tiny by any definition of the word. Still, she seemed to actually - enjoy? This? "Forward, I can do," Ernst called, although he was actually having trouble finding an opening among the birds. Strangely, despite Erica's trigger-happiness, he trusted her at his back. It was probably just the desperation. Besides, he thought, for a moment grimly realistic. If he wasn't here to hold up the shield and deflect feathers actively, then she'd be barraged by many more of them. He mashed his shield up at the birds uselessly, but found, to no surprise, that he wasn't really able to do as much damage to them. That was okay: his shield at least covered Erica from this angle, and most of his own body, too. Davor needed to get closer, probably, but Ernst wasn't gonna turn back to look. He hoped they'd keep touching him: he wouldn't know that they were still there otherwise, unless they talked.

Even though he'd suggested the expedition he had no idea which way to head. Toward the ski lodge might be nice, because that was where the birds had first attacked...right? Not having taken notes, Ernst wasn't sure how much of that first meeting he remembered. Had that really only been just earlier today? Ugh - birds would cause early grey hairs, probably. But maybe people had run in different directions...

The smell of the birds' foul stool was really getting to him, though. "I think, when we get back, I seriously need to get a cloth to tie over my nose," he wheezed, just to have something to say. Or a medical mask? Were there medical masks around? He'd really appreciate a ski mask, but he didn't know how safe it'd be to actually raid the ski lodge.

Still, he pressed onward, picking a direction and sticking with it only because he wasn't hearing any specific suggestions. His shield...sure did exist. Momentarily he was glad for it, but these birds really were relentless.

HP: 53/56

Priorities shifted, for just a moment. Once again, Ernst was overly concerned with the dung those birds flung their way -- not that Davor could blame him, mind. He'd just had the wonderful opportunity to smell far worse things over the course of his adventures, and, hardly thinking, he pulled the scarf off from around his neck and took only a moment to look away and toss it towards the other man. It wasn't in the best of shape, obviously well-worn but well-loved alongside that, and Davor could only hope it would help.

Now back to the fight, he also heard Erica loud and clear, frown deepening in disapproval at her comment even as he, despite his reservations, obediently moved nearer to them. "You should worry," he grumbled at her quietly, feeling maybe a little protective of the man he'd fought alongside so well.

It wasn't the best time to bicker, they could probably all agree, so Davor turned his full focus back onto the last few birds brave enough to continue hounding them, knocking them back with another fierce hammer blow.

HP: 44/50

Erica didn't respond, only huffing out a soft sound that was maybe amusement, maybe irritation at their situation. She was staying close, huddling beneath the protection of Ernst and his shield while trying to spot the woman's husband, or anyone really to satisfy the purposes of their excursion.

While the worst of the attack seemed to have passed, however temporarily, a few birds still chose to take a dive at them every once in while (metal was a lot sturdier than flesh after all). They earned a hard whack from Erica even as their forward progress slowed to accommodate more searching.

Ernst wasn't really the giving up kind of guy, but he had to admit that it was pretty hard to find people in all of this snow. He was pleased when Davor turned up with someone. That meant all of this...braving the elements stuff, hadn't gone to waste. He pulled his coat around himself tighter and nodded to Erica, adjusting his shield so that the civilian was covered more than she was. Hey - this guy didn't have a Mark on him. Probably. Ernst was pretty sure, anyway.

"Safety, we can do!" Ernst beamed, although he was probably intimidating Davor's man a bit, what with the scarf still tied around his face. He edged in close. "I'd distract them but it's me with the shield, so I guess you two can fend them off while he stays behind this," Ernst said to his companions. After getting confirmation he winked at their new hostage, or whatever. Rescue. Hey, better to make the guy feel comfortable, right? "Remember the hotel? It's that way. I promise we're normal people and not evil birds in disguise." He wasn't sure whether the guy believed him, but there wasn't much choice for him. The Chosen were the ones with weapons, after all. So they hustled.

"By the looks of it, the birds aren't really going for subterfuge," Erica responded, almost breezily if she weren't so concentrated on and clearly concerned about the birds. "More the rain death and destruction without worry type."

Despite her joking words, she was quite serious about making it through this ordeal and getting this man back to safety. It would justify their work after all. Ducking out of Ernst's cover, she began to actually use her axe as it was intended, throwing it and then running to retrieve it to try and make it easier for Ernst to advance without exposing their charge to any combat. She flashed a smile back at Davor before pulling her arm back and launching her axe back in the air; it would probably unnerve him and that made her laugh a little to herself.