Much to Petrova's satisfaction, everybody woke up bright and early for what promised to be the last day of their trek. Breakfasts were prepared and eaten, and soon, all of the Yetis and researchers were marching across the last of the frozen lake, the sound of scattered footsteps echoing across the empty expanse.
Even before the sun had finished its long rise across the sky, the party had already taken their first steps off the ice, and back onto the frozen ground.
Calling everyone to a pause at midday, Petrova quickly scanned the area around them, referencing the various landmarks to his map and compass. As expected, they were a good distance inland, and a quarter-day's walk to the hill. That left them plenty of time to search the nearby region for Frostnova and Fredrich.
"We've got two to three hours left to get there." The words rejuvenated everyone, and soon they were slowly jogging across the landscape. On impulse, a Yeti began singing an old war song, and soon they all joined in.
And so, with smiles on their faces, they finally arrived. Soon, tents were propped up atop the hill, and now began the arduous process of waiting…
Out of the blue, a sudden realization hit Frostnova. "Andrey?"
"Yes?"
"If we're going to this town, couldn't we have just taken a shortcut across the lake?" She asked, pulling out her map and unrolling it as she walked.
"Yep. Fredrich's call, though." Andrey soon replied.
"He's the one dragging us down again." Frostnova huffed. "Either way, there's a hill we can stop on for the night… roughly here." She pointed at a spot on the map.
"Sounds good."
Levina bit off a chunk of her ration bar as she waited, occasionally scanning the landscape for anything interesting. There wasn't much to see; while it was a beautiful, untarnished view from where she sat, it was also entirely lifeless. Not much could survive so far north; and what could hid deep, away from any prying eyes.
Really, the only valuable things were the Originium and mineral deposits; and the Ursus Empire controlled most of the big ones.
A speck of movement caught her eye, and she pulled up the pair of binoculars she held in her hands to get a closer look. Even if it was just an animal, it was worth checking out.
Adjusting the focus to get a better view, she shifted her angle a miniscule amount, zeroing in on her target…
And then she saw them. Frostnova was in the lead, her ears swaying in the wind; Fredrich slowly trailed behind. Forsaking any sense of decorum, she let out a shout.
"I've found them!"
Andrey watched through Frostnova's eyes as she silently walked through the snow. It was shallow enough here to not pose much of a problem, though Frostnova still left a trail of faint footprints behind her.
A speck at the edge of her vision caught his eye. A dead shrub, maybe, or some unfortunate animal. But it was approaching, and fast.
Soon, Frostnova caught on too, her eyes focusing upon the distant speck – now revealed to be a large group running towards them.
"You're seeing those people too, right?" Andrey asked.
"Mhm." Frostnova turned to Fredrich. "Large group of unknown people approaching."
"Understood." Andrey felt a wave of energy come off Fredrich, as he raised his wand.
Frostnova simply summoned an ice crystal with a flick of her hand and waited.
Soon, their adversaries' faces came into view.
They had been found.
In that moment that felt like an eternity, everyone stopped dead in their tracks. The Yetis, well-trained as ever, scanned the environment around them for hidden traps or dangers; eyes narrowed as they watched each and every shift in the snow.
Frostnova simply waited, looking across at the researchers and Yetis; the ice crystal in her hands was quickly dispelled after she spotted Petrova's familiar face.
Petrova looked at the two of them with a confused smile – happy to find them, perhaps? Andrey wasn't sure.
The researchers looked equally confused – their masks may have hid their expressions, but did little to hide their uneasy shifting.
"Well, at least we won't be killed." Andrey quipped.
Or at least, that was what he thought in the five seconds it took for Fredrich to fire a barrage of needles towards Petrova.
A barrage which was summarily stopped by a midair wall of ice.
"They're a danger." Fredrich argued, glaring at Frostnova.
Frostnova raised an eyebrow, before encasing Fredrich halfway in ice.
"I've wanted to do that for a long time." Frostnova said. Ignoring Fredrich's weak struggles, Frostnova turned to regard the Yetis and researchers now eyeing them with suspicion.
"Well, that is certainly not what I expected." Petrova said after a long silence.
"Same here." Ben said.
"Well, this changes things." Andrey sighed. "At this point, we may as well tell them the truth."
Frostnova pondered Andrey's words, before coming to a solution of her own. "Or we could just run."
"My crystal is with Fredrich." Andrey replied.
"Then we pick up the crystal and run."
"…Fair enough." Andrey conceded. "That seems like it would only confuse Petrova and the Yetis further, though."
"You're right. That wouldn't be the best for the Yetis."
Noticing everyone's eyes still on her, Frostnova sighed. "I'll explain. This may take some time."
Petrova chuckled. "We have plenty of time. We came here just to find you two, after all. I take it you don't like him?"
He gestured towards the still-frozen Fredrich.
"No, I don't. But he can listen." Frostnova broke the ice surrounding the Fredrich. "Somebody should take his wand."
A Yeti quickly shuffled over to Fredrich and disarmed him. Then, almost as if on cue, the group sat down surrounding Frostnova, as if they were listening to a story.
"Well, you may as well start. They're ready." Andrey prompted.
As Frostnova sat down, surrounded by curious eyes, she felt a sudden wave of indecision overtake her. Where did she start? A quick gaze to the right told her that Fredrich was listening with rapt attention – with him around, what could she say?
Andrey soon came to her rescue, however, and began. "Hello, everybody. I'm Andrey."
The researchers and Yetis jumped in fright. Fredrich merely looked on, confused.
Ah. He hadn't been included by Andrey's Arts.
"Okay. First, to communicate, anything, just think it very loudly."
"LIKE THIS?" Petrova's voice almost made Frostnova wince.
"…Not that loud." Andrey replied.
"So, who are you?" Anne asked.
"An amnesiac stuck in an Originium crystal."
"The one we grabbed from the altar?"
"Yes, that one."
"What's the deal with Fredrich?" Anne gestured to Fredrich, who was sitting down outside the circle, bored.
"He thinks I'm my pre-memory-loss self. Hence, he has been excluded."
"So Fredrich is…" Levina interjected.
"A spy." Hearing this, Levina raised an eyebrow, but otherwise said nothing.
The reactions from her compatriots were… more heated.
"A SPY?" Anne "shouted." "I knew I shouldn't have trusted him…"
"I vote we execute him." Ben flatly said.
"Okay, okay. That's not the point. The point is that the crystal can only contain me for so long."
"So?" Petrova asked.
"It runs out of energy, I die." Andrey sighed.
"We can't just recharge the crystal, or transfer you to another one?" Levina asked.
"No."
"…I can understand Frostnova's urgency now. Now it all makes sense… so you're going back to wherever you came from, to repair the crystal?" Petrova questioned.
"To return to my physical body." Andrey corrected.
"I find it hard to believe that your body isn't a pile of bones already." Petrova said.
"…It was preserved with Arts."
"Just who were you?" Petrova asked.
"Leader of the Leithanien Witch King's spy corps. 'Spymaster,' to be precise."
"...just what have we gotten into?" Petrova sighed. "And I'm not convincing Sister otherwise, am I?"
"No." Frostnova immediately said. "He is… very important."
Not just to the Yetis, but also to her, Frostnova realized.
"Well, why not?" Petrova chuckled. "Doesn't sound like I can convince her into doing anything else."
Well, the Yetis had decided. It was on Levina to make the decision for her group, now.
They must have looked quite strange from Fredrich's perspective, Andrey thought.
Levina had never liked decisions. They were too quick, and too simple. Every time she chose anythingimportant, regardless of the validity of her decision, it always felt like something was missing.
A simple "yes" or "no" could decide the trajectory of her entire life. And she had gambled wrong too many times in the past.
Now wasn't the time to reminisce. She awkwardly stood up and gave Frostnova a nod. "I might need… some time. I'm sorry for the delay."
Noticing Fredrich's eyes on her, she quickly shuffled away, and sat down a considerable distance away, back facing the others.
The snow dune she was behind was a convenient sight blocker. Bringing her hand up to her face, she slid her mask off, and let it drop onto the snow. Taking a deep breath, she sucked in the sharp air of the tundra, then exhaled again. In… out. In… out.
Now, onto the task at hand. Her primary goals were clear. Ensure the team lost no members and find objects of research or commercial value.
If she chose to go, it would risk the safety and security of the entire team. There'd be a good chance of getting significant value out of the endeavor, however, and fishing Fredrich out. Otherwise, they would be bound to lose Fredrich, but could return safely.
They'd be returning with some information of value, too; Levina had been observing the Yetis, and she was sure that headquarters would want to know about the local guerilla group. But that would amount to betraying the Yetis' trust; and that didn't sit well with her, even if she would be far away from the consequences.
She'd either have to go with the Yetis or return empty-handed.
…Well, a part of her still desired adventure. Plus, the researchers could return with a wealth of information and potential contacts – legal or illegal – in Leithanien. The area had been surprisingly difficult to strike deals with, given the relatively fractured nature of its government.
But that would be far above her pay grade. In the short term, it was simply a choice of whether to risk everything to get their mission done, or play it safe, and lose Fredrich and their mission.
"Hey." A voice came from behind her, making her jump up and reach for her dagger.
"Sorry." Petrova sheepishly smiled. She didn't have her dagger anyway, but she was sure Petrova noticed the movement. "I noticed you were taking a while, so I came to check on you. Everything alright?"
"Yes. I just… need some more time." Levina said, glancing at her mask. She regretted taking it off.
"Yeah, sure. Alright, I'll check up on you later." Petrova turned to leave.
"Wait!" Levina rushed up towards him.
"Hm?"
"I'll go."
AN: 70k words! At least, by Microsoft Word's count. FFN counts 1-2k more, AO3 counts 100-500 less. Thanks for all the support – I never expected to pass more than a few dozen follows and favorites, and yet here we are.
In other words, AO3 is now caught up with FFN; my issues with connecting to the site have been fixed.