A woman who shrugs off chilly winds as if they're nothing. Mephisto squints his eyes slightly and looks at his new guest.
He knew very well how powerful the woman code-named "Frostnova" is. She had only joined the Reunion movement for less than two years, but the speed of her promotion was like a rocket shooting off towards the sky.
It can be said that her promotion speed was record breaking.
Mephisto cannot think of a reason as to how this was possible because he had never seen anything like this before. Even if she wasn't doing anything, Frostnova was simply a walking force of nature.
But he is not afraid of her, or it's better to say that he is not afraid of anyone.
While under the gaze of her two cold eyes, he leans on his cane and walks two steps forward.
The cane pierces the frozen leaves, breaking them and creating a harsh, crisp sound.
"Looking at your expression." Mephisto smiled slightly, "Was I right?"
Frostnova studies Mephisto for a second, and then slowly opens her mouth to speak. "Who told you?" she said coldly.
As she spoke, the surrounding temperature seemed to go down a couple of degrees.
"It shouldn't be a secret? Or, it's not a secret you deliberately want to hide." Mephisto breathes a sigh, it's only autumn, yet it feels like he is in the middle of a cold winter.
"I know the past of a vast majority of people within the organization. Most people have similar stories. They were abandoned, feared, and hated. Of course, it is precisely because of that we gathered together."
Frostnova coldly says "What do you want to say?"
"What I want to say is that your story belongs to the more... interesting category in my opinion. " Mephisto smiles again and takes two steps towards Frostnova.
"Talulah once said that our organization members will never betray each other and will never fear death. Because we all embraced each other and comforted one another in our darkest times. When we sunk into a state of hopelessness after being betrayed by the ones we held dear, we clutched tightly onto that last glimmer of hope provided by our unity. But you, you're different, for you have already found that hope before entering the organization."
Mephisto paused to look at Frostnova.
"And that hope is your saviour."
Frostnova did not speak but she looked at Mephisto with an unreadable expression.
"Okay, okay, don't look at me with that expression." Mephisto shrugs, "We are comrades, aren't we?"
Frostnova says coldly, "You are not my 'comrade'. Never have and never will."
"Really? That's alright with me. Just have a bit of sentiment for me at the very least." Mephisto says "After all, I treat all members of the organization as partners."
The corners of Frostnova's mouth lifted slightly, but she didn't speak, as if she was mocking him.
Mephisto pretends that he did not see it "Actually, as a comrade, I need your help."
Frostnova glances at him and shakes her head: "I won't help you. Even if it's Talulah's orders."
After speaking, Frostnova was ready to pass by Mephisto but he chuckled and proposed an offer, "What if I say I would help you for a bit in return?"
Frostnova walks past Mephisto without turning her head, a series of frozen dead leaves crunches as she stomps on them.
Mephisto did not turn his head either. Instead, he looked ahead and said faintly:
"I can help you find your saviour."
The crunching noises stopped.
"You should know what Chernobog is like," Mephisto says.
"With how much people are coming in and out of such a big city. Searching for just a single person would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Not to mention that your sneaking skills are subpar at best and that Chernobog's military police can easily discern you from a crowd. It would be much easier if you decide to bring down the whole city instead."
At this time, Frostnova finally spoke: "I never did say I was going to Chernobog."
"Tsk, don't think of me as an idiot. Since I'm already discussing it with you, why not listen to me?" Mephisto turns around. Looking at Frostnova's back.
"It will be hard for you if you enter Chernobog alone. But you can ask someone else that's quite experienced in finding people to do it for you. Like me for example."
Frostnova goes silent.
Mephisto sighs softly:
"You don't believe in my abilities? I admit that your subordinates have excellent combat capabilities, but do you really think they have the expertise required for tracking someone? And are you really willing to see your subordinates enter a city like Chernobog whose treatment of the infected are just downright inhumane? If it was me in your shoes, I wouldn't be able to bear it. But if you are willing to leave this to me. Just a name. All I need is a name. I can bring him to you."
Frostnova still didn't speak, but Mephisto knew what she was thinking, so he didn't rush her, he just smiled and waited.
She finally made her decision "What do you want?"
Mephisto smiles, he knew that he had succeeded.
"I'm going to Kjerag." Mephisto states, "Although it's not within our range of activities, I still need a certain amount of combat power to increase the operation's success rate."
She understands what he meant. "Do you want me to follow you?"
"It's not necessary. This mission should be very easy. I don't need your power." Mephisto says, "I only want your Yeti squadron."
Frostnova finally turned around and stared at him coldly. "There's a limit to one's greed, Mephisto"
"You can reject it if you want." Mephisto smiles and shakes his head,
"It's your team, after all, I only want them since Kjerag is also known as the Snow Realm, a country that experiences winter all year round a terrain, with which the Yeti squadron's very familiar. If the whole team is too much for you then half is fine. When I finish the task, I will return all of them to you, no matter what."
Frostnova watches Mephisto.
Mephisto merely looks at her with a smile.
After several moments of reading each other's faces, Frostnova finally gave her answer "Only a third, nothing more."
"No problem, one third is good enough." Mephisto nods readily, "I will return these people to you after I'm done."
"You better."
"Of course, I never lie." Mephisto says, "Now, you can tell me that name? The name of your saviour."
Frostnova stays silent for a while.
Then she says softly: "I don't know his name, I only know that he is a pure human."
Mephisto's eyes narrow slightly: "A pure human? Are you sure?"
His only answer is a glare, so he accepted that as a yes.
"That's interesting." Mephisto chuckles, "I haven't seen a pure human in a long, long time. Does he have any characteristics? Interesting features?"
Frostnova's ears catch the sound of the wind.
It was the same sound she heard one or two years ago.
She was dying. She felt cold. She was on the verge of giving up.
Then a hand came.
His touch instantly soothed her heart and gave her the strength to live.
"Hey now, don't die. Dying is a very unpleasant feeling. I've experienced it before, so I know. Come, give me your hand..."His voice felt so soothing, so caring and so, so warm. He smiled at her with a wry smile that radiated the kindness and affection she had oh so missed.
Frostnova remembered his face, remembered his voice, remembered his warm hands, but didn't know how to describe it to Mephisto. So, she just stayed silent for a long time before finally speaking "None."
"Well, a person with no characteristics, but...The height and weight are still there, right?"
She nods, she still remembers that and informs Mephisto evenly.
He wrote down the information in a book.
"Don't worry." Mephisto says with a smile, "With this information and him being a pure human, it will be easy to find him even in Chernobog."
He closes the book and keeps it within his coat.
"You don't need to wait long." Mephisto says jokingly, "I can find him, and I will bring him to you. If he resists, then I'll just tie him up."
Having said all he wanted, he was about to leave, but before he could, he turns around and finds that his legs could not move.
He lowers his head and finds that his legs had been frozen to the ground by frost.
Frostnova's murderously cold voice can be heard from behind him. "Mephisto, remember this. If you dare harm even a single hair on him. I will kill you, and by then, even Talulah can't keep you safe from me."
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
Why do I always feel like I'm somehow cold nowLin Ye gets up to close the window.
When he sees a yellow leaf fluttering about outside the window, he suddenly realizes that autumn has come to an end and winter is coming.
But he needs to stay focused on the current situation. He turns around to find Pramanix sitting demurely on the couch.
"You said you want me to come with you to Kjerag, why?" Lin Ye pours her a cup of tea.
The mood earlier was a bit off, so Lin Ye asked her to calm down a little bit while drinking tea.
Pramanix is now sipping tea but her mood wasn't improving.
When Lin Ye asked, she answered softly: "Because of some special reasons, I have to return to Kjerag."
"Then why call me?" Lin Ye is still puzzled, "Can't you just leave with Matterhorn or Cliffheart instead?"
Pramanix shook her head.
"I want to go back as a member of Rhodes Island."
"Huh?"
"I'm no longer the saintess of Kjerag and I don't want to be that man's sister, but I still have to go back," Pramanix says softly.
Lin Ye's remained that of confusion. "So, is this supposed to be, ah, personal affairs?"
Pramanix didn't understand what he meant, "What do you mean?"
"Uh, it's not important." Lin Ye feels that personal affairs were not the right word.
"Miss Kal'tsit has already agreed to this." she says softly, "She asked you to be a diplomat for Rhodes Island when entering Kjerag. She also wants you to pick out who's coming with you to Kjerag''
So, it's a business affair? It seems like that's what Kal'tsit wants.
Lin Ye ponders over it for a while and finally answers her with a gentle smile. "Sure. I'll come with you then."
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
Draft by Jaq
Proofread by d0d0b1rd NeverAnAuthor
Edit by Jaq