Eternal Winter's Reign - Book 2 - Chapter 38 - Spared (Patreon)

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Don't mind this. It's so that free readers can't see half the chapter.

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Alexander North

The mutant lieutenant colonel grits his teeth as he tries to move his sword, but the thing doesn’t even so much as budge no matter how much strength he puts in it. Then the frozen one just pinches her fingers a little harder, vines of ice snake across the sword. And when the vines reach the lieutenant colonel’s hands, they begin to stretch across his arms as well.

I narrow my eyes as he appears to try letting go of his sword, but his arms remain frozen to the sword, and he fails to break contact.

So I send out several arcs of cold energy right at the sword, only for it to not do anything to the ice. Just like the frozen walls of the base above us.

The battle behind us continues with the mechs giving our side the clear advantage, but the sapient frozen one just continues to watch me as the frozen vines snake across the lieutenant colonel’s body.

I rush forwards to attack with my claws, but I’m still not strong enough to break the vines. Leaving me gritting my teeth from the force of the impact of my hands on the frozen vines.

It doesn’t end there though as the vines begin to try sneaking their way across my hands as well.

Then a loud snarling sound comes from the hole above us and a shadow envelops the three of us. One that I quickly learn belongs to Snow as she chomps down right on the sword, shattering it and the ice coating it in one chomp.

Snow doesn’t waste any time spitting the remnants of the sword and ice out of her mouth before backing up alongside me. But by now, over half of the lieutenant colonel’s body is frozen in vines of ice. Making it impossible for me to free him right now.

I grit my teeth, only to feel a little surprised when the sapient frozen one merely looks at Snow with surprise clear on her face. Completely ignoring the frozen mutant officer next to her as if he wasn’t even there.

It doesn’t take me long to realize what she’s thinking though. Even with me largely forgetting about it myself since I left Snow at the base most of the time.

Snow is special because I temporarily made her that way by sacrificing a small amount of my energy for her to keep her self-control.

After a few seconds, the sapient frozen one turns her gaze to me from Snow with more interest on her face now. Then she takes a step backwards while saying, “It would appear you’re more unique than my brother and I gave you credit for.”

I briefly glance around us to find the other soldiers and the mechs finishing up the last of the frozen ones in the room and turning their attention towards us. But I keep my focus on the sapient frozen one in case she tries anything.

She doesn’t, though, which leaves me feeling rather confused.

Instead, she just slowly backs away, walking backwards towards the dark tunnel behind her.

Once she reaches the mouth of the tunnel, she comes to a halt and says, “A hybrid of the warm ones and a frozen lord. Be grateful to His Eminence, for he has decreed that you must be left to your own devices for now.”

I blink at that before frowning.

His eminence? Who is that? Is it their god? Cocytus?

Why would he order for me to be left alone?

And only after she saw Snow… also, what’s this about a frozen lord?

“Be warned, though, for you are only to be left to your own devices should you remain outside of a lord’s nest,” she states, her cold eyes narrowing at me ever so slightly as one of the mechs works to free the mutant lieutenant colonel from the ice vines. “The moment you step inside of my nest, you’re fair game again.”

Then she steps backwards again, leaving the cavern into the tunnel.

But not without leaving one last statement behind.

“Next time, anomaly.”

And with those words, the entrance to the tunnel she just entered freezes solid. Making it so that no one is able to follow her. Even when soldiers open fire on the ice, not leaving a single mark on it in the process.

I frown at the ice before turning to look at Snow, who is currently marching right on over to the frozen lieutenant colonel. At which point I realize the mechs aren’t getting anywhere with the icy vines.

The people near the lieutenant colonel surprisingly don’t seem wary of Snow even as she approaches. Or at least, the soldiers I recognize from Delta Base don’t seem wary. Those from Beta Base are a tiny bit wary, but they let her approach regardless.

After the mechs stop working, Snow casually steps up and chomps down on some of the vines of ice before slowly eating the ice. A process that takes more than a little time.

I feel a little surprised by her eating of the vines, but I walk over anyways to help clear the vines with my own claws.

While I try working away at the vines though, I can’t help but glance at Snow. Quietly wondering when she got this strong.

Did someone feed her something while I was gone? Also, the whole frozen lord thing, is that because of how I let her keep her normal without going berserk?

Then there’s the bit about her god giving her an order here during our battle. Does that mean their god, Cocytus, can see whatever they see? Is he all-seeing? Or maybe he’s just in contact with all of the sapient frozen ones?

There’re just too many questions here and not enough answers.

But at the very least, I managed to make it out of the trap in one piece.

And I can still sense that crystal nearby, so I could get something out of this too.

Other than the many questions this whole confrontation has raised.

For now, though, I focus on slowly freeing the lieutenant colonel whose mouth is covered by ice vines.