Artyom trekked through the forest in hopes of finding Oaken before the strangers got to him first. The familiar feeling of his backpack and his weapons weighing him down had almost reminded him of the time when he was in the Metro, leaving Rizhskaya on his quest to get to Polis Station. The young man brought his Kalashnikov to bear, loading a fresh magazine of ammo as he followed the small trail that would lead to Oaken's home.
His boots kicked up dust as his equipment hanging from his person had created a constant clatter of noise due to how much he was carrying with him. Perhaps he shouldn't have taken that musket off of the prince's arsenal. Nonetheless, he had it with him. Maybe he could hand it over to Oaken once he found him.
He looked forward to seeing the trader's house in the midst of the forest; however, he noticed movement in the treeline. There were several dozen individuals standing close to the porch with their weapons lowered. Artyom slowed his past and moved off the trail as he slowly crept through the bushes and vegetation of the forests on his right. Every now and then, he made sure his steps did not find a branch waiting to be broken. Then he found a rock for cover, giving him a covert way to get closer to the group.
The stalker took up this position and rested his assault rifle upon this formation as he looked down the sights of his scope. Artyom was able to obtain the details about the men who did not belong here and he would see an occasional collar around some of the men. Were some of them enslaved? Then one of the men stepped forward. "Hey, you! Come out here and talk to us. I want to have a word with you." He was speaking Russian and then the young man realized Oaken knew not a single word. His attention took notice of the window, just to see the trader in the window express his fear. "Alright, Saul will want his ass. Break the door down."
No, he was not going to let them take someone who had shown him kindness, who managed to help with his Norwegian. It was unacceptable to let it happen.
Artyom aimed his sights on one of the armed men with a bottle in hand. "Come on, let's get this over with!" With a pull of the trigger, his suppressed weapon let out a single bullet as his target was in the middle of drinking. A body slumped to the ground as the bottle was smashed upon landing. "Shit, what the fuck was that?!"
There was a feeling that he had only felt when he was moving between the communist and fascist frontlines. Artyom was cold and efficient in his killing, single shots bellowed from his weapon at the seven armed men who surrounded Oaken's home. When the armed men were put down, he expected the enslaved to be elated that their masters were killed. No, they were enraged at their fates and took up arms against him and the innocent. A pang of guilt had paused him from dispatching his foes, but he did not consider that they would stop to consider their actions.
One of the slaves finished looting their fallen masters with a bottle that had some cloth in it. Then the stalker saw the lighter in hand, it was an incendiary grenade. "For the holy flame!" He shouted as he began to throw it in his direction.
Artyom jumped out of his cover as an explosion of flames splashed the area where he once was. Forced out of his position, he was exposed in the open. Then he noticed one of them have another bottle in hand, but was thrown at the wooden store where Oaken resided. "No!" He cried out as a wave of ruthlessness came over him. The stalker pulled his trigger, a single bullet for a soul. Then he ran towards the trading post and shoulder-charged his way inside.
When the door swung open, he looked to his left to see himself looking at the man who once helped him when he was nothing more than a blank slate. "Alex, is that you?"
He forgot that he did not tell him his true name. No matter, he would have to contend with that after he rescued them. "Yes, it's me. Fetch your family and get to Arrendelle as quickly as you can! I know there are more of those bastards out there." The Russian reached for the musket, it's munitions, and gunpowder and handed it over to Oaken. "Take this, you'll need this more than I do." The smell of burning wood had reached them. "Let's go!"
The larger and older man held the weapon as he went into the back of the room. "Dear, get the kids! This place is on fire!"
The stalker ran out of the trading post and looked around to see the destruction in the wake of the slaves was growing. The flames were expanding out of control as trees and bushes were fed into its insatiable appetite. Temperatures rose as Artyom looked over his shoulder to see Oaken and his family step outside in fear. Yet, the small trail towards Arrendelle remained unaffected for the time being as he pointed his finger towards that direction. "Oaken, follow that path. There is a horse that you can use for the kids to ride on."
"Okay."
A gunshot erupted as Artyom felt a bullet ricochet off of his helmet, but the impact knocked him onto the ground. "Shit!" He looked past the trading post to see more of those men who arrived in this kingdom. There were too many for him and Oaken to take on. "Go, leave without me."
While his family followed the trail, the trader fired his musket in the direction of the assailants and knelt beside him. "You will die here if you stay."
He turned towards the concerned man as he grasped his assault rifle. "Someone has to delay them. Go." Oaken was reluctant at his conviction to remain in this destructive environment; however, he followed Artyom's demand.
The stalker got up from the ground, he brought up his scope and fired at the black silhouettes on the edges of the flames. Black smoke was beginning to take its toll on the forest, expanding further and further from where its origins began. Then the air began to lose its freshness over time while he slowly retreated towards Arendelle. Sooner or later, he would be unable to breathe in this environment.
An old familiar habit came to him as he unstrapped his helmet and reached for the gas mask hanging from his belt. Even if he was in another world, Artyom stood his ground to do the right thing. Once his gas mask was finally sealed, he got his armored helmet back on and readjusted the straps as tight as he could. A freehand reached towards the top, just to lower his armored visor for the fight he would endure.
The princesses ran out of the castle with haste and concern for what was going on in the kingdom. Anna had heard the Imperial Russian soldiers talk about evacuation from an event that was too much for even them to handle. Just what did they mean by that? By the time she and her sister crossed the bridge, they stopped on the other side and looked at the burning mountainside that was slowly expanding towards their ancestral home. Fires burnt brightly as the land was slowly being scorched to cinders, slowly coming towards the castle and the village that was there. "Oh no, the fires are getting closer. We need to do something."
Elsa was standing beside her with a hand over her chest. "How? It's too big for us to handle."
"Let's find Prince Vaska. Maybe he will help with the fires?"
The clicking of loud boots had caught their attention as they turned around to see the old Russian prince approach them. "Your highnesses, we need you to get on the ships immediately. It's not safe here."
"Prince Vaska, couldn't you get your men to put out the fires?" Anna wondered with some hope in her request.
He shook his head. "I am afraid that is not possible. The flames are too big and we have some gunpowder supplies at the docks. If the flames get there, we might as well consider ourselves dead and we do not have the room to get all your people out and the gunpowder, especially at the rate those fires are coming."
"You seriously cannot be saying that we have to abandon our home."
"Yes, I am," Vaska replied, "There is no time for arguments. Even as we speak, Kai is getting your people on our ships before the flames consume them as well. It's bad enough that Artyom has not returned."
The news struck both of them about Artyom's whereabouts, but Anna noticed from Elsa's expression that she was quite concerned about his fate. "Artyom is in the forest right now? Why didn't you stop him?"
"He came back with terrible news about bandits attacking one of my men. That young man had the courage to go rescue a trader and his family from danger just to stay behind for their behalf. With the way the fires are going, he is probably dead at this point."
"No, it can't be." Elsa shook her head at the thought, "He can't just die like that."
Anna turned to her sister. "Are you alright?"
"He has to be alive." The princess walked away from them as she moved towards the burning forests.
She ran towards her sister with worry. "Elsa, what are you doing? It's not safe for you to go there."
The girl stopped in her tracks as she looked at her gloved hands. It seemed like she intended to do something them and that did help alleviate the issues. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes, of course, but this is a bit worrying," She answered, "Walking towards a firestorm is not going to help find Artyom."
"Well… please do not freak in what I'm just about to do."
What did she mean by that? This was a question that just puzzled her as her sister ran off, forcing her to follow. "Don't go to the forest, it's dangerous!" They ran past their own citizens and soldiers from Russia, causing a commotion and worry as they tried to stop them from getting closer to the danger. Elsa arrived at the outskirts of the town as Anna saw her standing alone with the flames drawing closer. "Wait!"
She noticed that her own sister was taking her aqua gloves off of her hands and began to toss them aside. Just why was she doing that? "Father, please forgive for what I am about to do."
Anna tried to approach her, but something happened that would change her world forever. Elsa's hands reached out to the tree line that was covered in fire and smoke, but they were quickly extinguished by the sudden arrival of ice and snow. No words were able to describe the magic that had just occurred with a disastrous firestorm finding itself being destroyed by a single girl with the force of nature in her hands.
Elsa was unrelenting with her powers as the northern outskirts of Arendelle was being covered in white. When the last flame was punished for its existence, the princess immediately reached for her gloves and turned around to see her sister. "Anna… I hope I did not scare you."
The latest occurrence of events had made Saul reconsider his operation. His people were attacked by the locals and the slaves were stupid enough to start a forest fire. The news outright terrified him as their expedition into this land had to be postponed until the fires were gone. Then everything changed when the entire slope of the forests was covered in snow and ice.
At first, he and his men had welcomed the snow with open arms. The slaves, on the other hand, did not know what it meant to them even if a snowflake melted into their hands. Then he found himself sitting on the rock where he once stood tall and proud. The weather changed on the whim and went from a nice familiar environment of hell into a frozen landscape. His experience in the Caspian Sea alongside the Baron had resulted with him getting used to the desert.
Now that this place was freezing, the ambitious man realized he would have to retreat. None of his men and slaves had any actual winter clothing. Unless he could get his hands on some fur coats, he was out of luck in carving up his own kingdom. Perhaps another time, when he had the opportunity to be prepared for the weather.
Amongst his first impressions of the locals, it would have been easy pickings if that one man they captured was anything to go by. Yet, his people encountered someone who was running around with an old Kalashnikov and an assortment of other weapons. Whoever this person was, he was worth three platoons of soldiers.
One of his men stopped at the base of his rock. "Saul, are we really leaving?"
He looked down from his spot. "Yes. You saw just what had happened. I don't like this place, especially when the weather acts this crazy."
"Look, boss, there is a castle down below. Why don't we take it for ourselves?"
The leader considered that opportunity, but he only had a handful of men at his disposal. If one guy could raise havoc in a burning forest, he would have to get more reinforcements in case he was dealing with an entire army. "It's too risky. Once our guys are done in a raid, then we'll stir shit up, but not now."
In the wake of the destruction, the Russians and the people of Arendelle had set out to find any survivors. From what Elsa had been told, no one could have survived this without choking to death. Hopefully, she would find him. Aside from her father, Artyom was very supportive of how she handled her powers, but in a different method. The more she thought about it, the more she realized he was right in the world forcing her to show herself. No one, not even the crown princess of Arendelle, had expected a forest fire to occur and yet it happened.
When she showed her magic to the world, everything changed in an instant. Her sister was surprised at what she was capable of, but the local reaction to her powers led to people being stunned. Somehow, they instantly figured out why she was so reclusive for most of her entire life and it was relieving to know that they were being understandable with her. The princess expected to be viewed as a monster, someone far too alien for this existence, but they did not do that at all.
Perhaps Artyom was right in revealing her powers.
The remains of the forests were a shadow of what they once were. A beautiful landscape that she viewed through the window of her bedroom was now scarred forever. Elsa was horrified at the destruction that was caused by a mere fire. Had it not been for her intervention, her kingdom and home would be destroyed.
She was further from the rest of the groups that were searching for Artyom and she wanted to be alone for this session. Not only that, but she needed to make sure to extinguish any flame that still remained, if there were any left. It was a good that her powers were controlled for this moment since there was a potential for something to immediately go wrong.
Elsa saw movement on her left, taking a quick glimpse of a dark silhouette moving past the burnt trees, jogging up the slopes of the hills that led towards the North Mountain. She followed after the figure, not only was she curious about the person, but it would have been impossible for anyone to survive the forest fire. Questions occurred in her mind as she ran towards the stranger.
The princess did not have to worry about the snow she laid across the burnt land. Somehow, it did not really affect her as she closed the distance. The person was unaware about her presence, allowing her to slow down over time and take a leisurely stroll. Footprints were pressed into the ground as she caught a glimpse of the person who was ahead of her. His appearance looked strangely familiar as she was less than a few meters away from him.
The person's face was covered by a mask, but it did not bring silence. Elsa could hear muffled breaths coming from within as she crept closer. Then her foot pressed against a twig and snapped at the pressure, alerting her presence to the stranger. The breaths intensified as the princess found herself in a confrontation.
He turned around and brought up a strange weapon in her direction; however, his appearance almost resembled Artyom's father. His mask was unlike any she had ever seen, but his eyes were covered by an armored visor. Elsa remained still as her hands reached for her gloves, she did not want to fight, but there was a chance she may have to for her own life.
Tension ceased to exist as the man lowered his weapon and raised his visor above his eyes. It was odd, but the way he did it had reminded the princess of a time when she was enthralled by the fairy tales of knights raising their visors for their fair ladies. The man's gaze became familiar to her when he spoke. "Elsa?"
She recognized him from his voice alone. "Artyom, is that you? I thought you were consumed in the flames! You shouldn't even be alive right now."
"I managed to take shelter in a pond and this gas mask is the only reason why I have not suffocated to death," He answered as he looked at his surroundings, "I've read a lot about your powers, but seeing it on display for the first time is… different."
"Prince Vaska said you sent a trader and his family out of the forest, but you stayed behind. I thought you were dead at this point."
"It is not the first time that someone said I was dead," Artyom replied casually. It somewhat disturbed her that he was calm about the possibility of his own fate, "Hopefully, I don't get stuck in that situation like that ever again."
She smiled. "What truly matters is that you are alive."
He let go of his weapon and let it hang from his shoulders while he began to slowly unstrap his helmet and mask. It was odd to see the former stable boy appear like a soldier, but Elsa did not mind that detail. The idea was fitting in its own right since she saw memories of what his father was before his disappearance. Now that he was alive and well, the princess rushed forward and hugged him. "Your highness. What are you doing?"
"I'm hugging you," She replied, "Don't ever worry me like that ever again."
Artyom was surprisingly warm as she hugged him. Was it leftovers from the forest fire? Then she felt his arms embrace her hug. "I will do my best not to do that. We better get going. Anna is going to want answers from both of us."
Several of Saul's men remained behind to gather their belongings in hopes of escaping the situation that was occurring outside of the old Soviet facility. Floodlights lit up the cave as bandits and raiders packaged their boxes of weapons and other survival equipment, but they would return to this place one day. The warriors of the Holy Flame would expand further than their members ever realized, yet, something was going on with the machine that allowed them to move between realities.
One of the men noticed the portal flickering in blue lights, changing into something completely different. "Hey, is that supposed to happen?"
A comrade had finished packing up a box and stood beside him. "Eh, I wouldn't think too much about it. Just finish up and we'll be out of here."
He shrugged his shoulder as he shivered. It was a bit chilly when compared to the earlier weather, but it was better than scorching desert. Suddenly, he noticed the portal flicker once more as if something beyond their control was occuring. "Something's off."
Out from the portal, the bandit saw dozens of heavily armed and armored soldiers storm into the ancient facility in force. Many took notice and reached for their weapons, but whoever these people were, they were far too organized to be another gang. Then one of the men spoke loud and clear. "Gentlemen, my name is Colonel Klebnikov. I suggest that you cooperate with us and we will let you live. If you disagree, we all know what will become of this situation.'
Saul was already heading back to the Baron for a meeting, but without his presence to keep the men in line, it was clear that they had no actual chance. Soon, the stone floors were covered with guns as the supposed warriors of the Holy Flame had surrendered to their opposition.