"Guys, we've officially arrived!" Announced Sora exultant.
Over in the distance, the city's towering skyscrapers outlined on the horizon, their steel structures and picture windows bathed by the rising Sun's light. Snowy plains surrounded the site, stretching as far as the eye could see and serving as home for factories and oil refineries, from which dense pillars of smoke rose towards the clear sky.
*whistle* "Damn, this city is way bigger than I had imagined." Said Matt impressed.
"Yeah, and according to the info we got at Vyely Dvor, it's also the place Priestess went to." Replied the Doctor. "Now it comes down to go there and find her."
"..." As the two spoke, Texas's ears picked up a distant noise. At first, she was unsure of what it could be, but upon listening closely, she recognized the sound as the one of an approaching aircraft. "Merda, get down!"
The Lupo's warning prompted the rest to go and hide behind a nearby rock. Moments later, a Kamov Ka-50 scout helicopter appeared out from thin air headed directly towards them. The team held their breath as the Russian aircraft approached their hideout. It seemed like they were going to get caught... yet, in a stoke of luck, the helicopter didn't spot them and flew past them harmlessly, disappearing from sight shortly after. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Uff... that was a close call." Muttered Mostima.
"Absolutely..." Without moving from where he was sitting, Will turned his gaze towards his friends and addressed them. "Ok guys, listen. Once we cross the doors of Svietlapetrovsk, we'll have entered Russian territory. I don't know exactly what awaits us there, but expect a heavy military presence and FSB surveillance behind every corner. Making a false move will get all of us killed."
"We'll keep that in mind, don't worry." Amiya reassured him.
After hearing the cautus's response, Matt adjusted his glasses a bit and got up from the ground.
"Well, if there's nothing else left to discuss then I suggest we resume our hike. It would be great thing if we get there before night sets in."
"Good idea." Agreed his friend. "Let's get going then."
/ /
Several hours later, Amiya and her friends reached the city's docking bays. The place was a hive of activity; workers drove fork lifts around and the loading cranes moved massive containers from one place to another. In the middle of the docks, a line of cargo trucks meandered between the cranes, advancing at such slow pace that they seemed almost frozen in place. They all were headed to the main lift, where a Russian checkpoint awaited to inspect the cargo of each vehicle.
Using the containers as cover, the team silently dashed across the docks towards the line of vehicles and, the moment they got close enough, Amiya exclaimed.
"Jump!"
The team hoped inside the back of one of the trucks without the dock's workers noticing, but upon landing they discovered that, much to their displeasure, the vehicle was loaded to the grim with compost. They didn't have any time to complain, though, as the truck in front of them was about to finish the inspection and they were next.
"следующий!" (Next!)
The driver stopped the vehicle right next to the Russian checkpoint. One of the soldiers manning the post walked over to the cockpit's window and signaled him to open it. Once the man lowered the window, he asked.
"Какой груз вы туда везете?" (What kind of cargo are you carrying there?)
"I'm transporting compost, sir. It's for the city's farm plates." Answered the driver, intimidated by the guy's grim face. "You can check for yourself if you wish so."
Everyone stiffened upon hearing the driver's words. It seemed like they were about to be caught... yet, in a fortunate turn of events, the soldier was content with taking a quick glance at the truck. Apparently, the stench of the compost was such that it discouraged him from doing an inspection in depth, let alone taking a look at the back. Whatever the case may be, the soldier covered his mouth with a hand in an attempt to contain the nauseas rippling through his digestive tract.
"Ага, воняет дерьмом...!" (Agh, it smells like shit!) He turned to the driver and said. "Хорошо, я вам верю. А теперь, пожалуйста, уйди с моих глаз!" (Ok, I believe you. Now please get out of my sight!)
The man just stepped on the gas pedal and drove away. At the same time, Amiya and her companions couldn't help but feel relieved as the truck put the Russian post behind.
The team didn't stay on the truck much longer and got off the vehicle at the first traffic light. Immediately afterwards they entered the nearest side alley, and there they finally able to stop and catch their breaths.
"Good Lord, from all the trucks we could have hoped into, we had to choose the one stinking the most!" Carped Sora while she cleansed her dress from any remains of compost. "Wasn't there any other way to sneak in?"
"There were a few alternatives, not gonna lie." Acknowledged Mostima. "But hey, at least we're inside."
Will gave a nod.
"Yeah... Now comes the interesting part, locating Priestess. Where do we even start?"
"From what I understood back at Vyely Dvor, she had showed great interest in the ancient artifacts displayed at the Svietlapetrovsk Museum, so I guess it would be a nice starting point." Contested the Doctor.
"Seems like a good plan to me." Thought Talulah.
"In that case, what are we waiting for?"
Now that their forces had been replenished, the team took out some hooded capes from their backpacks and put them on. Then they pulled on the hoods to conceal their faces and with that done they headed back to the main avenue.
Just as Will had predicted, the Russian presence in the streets was huge. Patrol units came and went at intervals, driving their military jeeps across the city while keeping an eye on their surroundings, and in the corner of every street cameras had been installed to record any suspicious movement. The inhabitants of Svietlapetrovsk tried their best to go on with their lives, although their tense expressions told that the constant surveillance was taking its toll.
Despite the hostile environment they found themselves in, Amiya and her friends left the alleyway and quickly blended in with the passer-byes. From there they started walking towards the museum. The trip proved to be extremely tortuous, and in a couple of occasions the Russian patrols passed right next to them. They were very stressful moments for the group, but fortunately they were able to go unnoticed thanks to their hooded capes. In any case, they continued making their way towards their destination.
The landscape around them began to slowly shift as Amiya and her friends approached the central districts. The old, dull concrete apartment blocks and narrow streets gave way to a wide boulevard flanked by taller and more elegant buildings, whose Haussman-styled façades gave off an aura of majesty.
"Hang in there a bit, guys. If I'm not wrong, then we should be getting close." Matt said to the rest.
Following the indications of one of the numerous signs planted on the sidewalks, the team continued walking down the boulevard until reaching a plaza with a fountain in the middle, where they took a detour to the left. At first everything seemed okay, but as Amiya and her friends made their way through the avenue, they began to notice some big changes. The buildings on both sides of the streets started showing signs of fighting, like bullet holes, collapsed ceilings... and the further they advanced, the worst the damage became. The feeling of uneasiness in their hearts only grew by the moment as the team saw the increasing levels of destruction, something that made them quicken up their pace. They clung to the chance that the museum hadn't been suffered as much damage as the other buildings... but soon all their hopes were shattered when they arrived at the place.
"Oh f*ck, the museum..." Croissant managed to utter.
At one point, the Svietlapetrovsk Museum had been one of the city's most beautiful buildings, but now it laid in complete ruins. The once imposing neo-classical façade and arcade were all but gone, with only a handful of Corinthian-style columns remaining. Its walls were in similar shape, having crumbled under their own weight. The ones still standing were all covered in bullet holes and cracks.
Amiya and her companions watched in shock the desolate landscape laying before them.
"My God, what happened here?" Asked Exusiai bewildered. "The museum's just... gone!"
"Yeah, so it seems." Answered Matt with visible frustration. "The museum has fuck*ng ceased to exist."
Will approached his friend's side and said as a consolation.
"Hey, don't worry. Even if it has been destroyed, it's not that big of a deal."
"That's what you believe, but the museum was our only clue about Priestess's whereabouts." Averting his gaze, Matt let out a sigh. "Dammit, what are we supposed to do now?..."
The others didn't utter a response and simply stared at the ruins with listless expression, trying to figure out their next step. However, not even a minute had passed when, all of a sudden, they heard a voice say.
"Why are you standing there like statues, gentlemen? Is there any issue I can help with?"
Amiya and her partners stiffened as if a lightning bolt had stuck them. They quickly turned to face the owner's voice... and much to their relief, it wasn't a Russian soldier.
Standing behind them was an old Ursus man. His gray hair was tangled haphazardly, conferring him a disheveled appearance. He had a long beard which helped to conceal the wrinkles in his face, and his dark eyes had a tired look on them, but the rest of his factions denoted great affability. He walked making use of a cane, and his attire consisted of a large, warm coat and a hat.
Shaking his confusion off, Matt looked at the elder man and spoke.
"Ehh... no! No, we're completely fine. It's just that we stumbled with this disaster scene, and well..."
A bit baffled, the man shot a glance past the boy and, upon spotting the ruins, he soon understood.
"Ah, now I get it. You're wondering what destroyed the museum, am I right?" The team nodded their heads. Letting out a small sigh, he watched the museum's remains and said in a melancholic tone. "It's truly heartbreaking; this museum used to be one of the prominent places of Ursus, yet now only ruins remain..."
"You know what happened here?" Mostima asked the elder.
"What kind of question is that? Of course I do!" He heartedly answered. "You see, when the Russians launched their assault on Svietlapetrovsk, fierce fighting broke out all across the city. As one can imagine, the defenders were crushed in a matter of hours... but against all odds, a small contingent from the Imperial Army managed to survive the onslaught and retreated towards the central districts. Their initial intention probably was to seek refuge in the city hall, but since the invaders were getting closer by the minute and the museum was closer to their position, they decided to go and entrench themselves there. Naturally, the Russian Army tried to overrun the building, yet in a display of sheer determination those guys repelled their attacks one after another, and like that for days. In the end, the Russians got so tired that they ended up calling an artillery strike... and well, the results you can see them for yourselves."
"And what about the collection?" Inquired the Doctor with growing concern. "Has anything survived the battle?"
"Unfortunately no, my friend. The shelling reduced everything to ashes, including the artifacts."
"I see..." Noticing the disappointment in the Doctor's tone, the elder shot him a compassionate look.
"Why the face? Were you interested in the museum's collection?"
"Not exactly." Intervened Matt. "We don't have any particular reasons to take a look at the artifacts, but one of our friends did have interest in them. In fact, we believe she traveled to the city with this exact purpose some time ago."
The boy's words picked the elder's curiosity, and so he tried to discover more by asking him.
"Who's that friend of yours? Could I see a picture of her, if you don't mind?"
"Yeah, of course. I'll show you right away."
Matt searched the pockets od his coat and, after taking out his mobile phone, searched for a photo of Priestess and showed it to the man. The elder didn't discern anything from the picture on the first go due to his bad sight, so he put on a pair of glasses and took a second look... yet this time he did see the woman's face, and his eyes widened upon recognizing her.
"Lord be blessed, it- it's Dr. Petrova!"
The man's reaction shocked everyone, especially the Doctor, who immediately went to ask him.
"Wait a minute, do you really know her?"
"Yes, I do but..."
Ignoring the rest of what the elder had to say, the Doctor looked over at his fellows and exclaimed exultant.
"Have you heard that? He knows Priestess! With his help we have the chance to find and rescu..." Suddenly, the man covered the Doctor's mask with the hand, cutting him in mid-sentence.
"Shh! Don't be so loud!" The elder turned his gaze to both sides, checking for anyone suspicious standing close to them. After making sure they weren't being watched, he refocused his attention back to the group and said. "Look, I don't know what kind of relationship you have with Dr. Petrova, but if you are really her friends... then I'm afraid you're in great danger."
"Wait a minute. We, in danger?" Asked Matt visibly confused. "What the heck are you talking about?"
"Trust me, this matter is very important for both of us." He answered. "I need to tell you many things, but it would be unwise to do it here, in an exposed place like this. We need to get somewhere safer..."
"So, to keep it short, you're telling us that we're very screwed." Said Croissant.
vA rather strange way to put it, but yes, it describes very well our current situation." He made a brief pause. "Now, if you don't mind, please follow me."
The man turned around and, without skipping a second, started to walk away. No need to say that the conversation between them and his actions had left the team a bit dumbfounded. Snapping out of it, Will noticed that the elder was slowly moving away, so he went after him and asked.
"Where exactly are you taking us to, Mr...?"
"Ravinoff, Professor Ravinoff. My apologies for not telling you my name earlier." He replied, coming to a halt and turning towards them. "As for where we're going, my intention was to bring you over to my house. There I'll explain you everything."
Amiya and her companions exchanged looks. They were a bit suspicious of Ravinoff, yet his interest in helping seemed genuine and, apart from that, it wasn't like they had any other options, so they pushed their doubts aside and went after him.