The Eternal Winter - Book 1 - Chapter 30 - Call and Wolf (Patreon)

                                                                                               Alexander North

“Is everything okay?” dad asks as soon as he accepts the connection.

I nod my head in reply despite the video feed not being connected as I answer, “Yeah, was just calling to see if you still had the intel about the executive staircases.”

No need to tell him about how I was split up from the others again. Or the fact that I was sent in alone to fight the monsters. Because I know that he won’t react well to that, even if he won’t do anything to the lieutenant colonel for giving the order in the first place since it was a logical one.

Dad pauses for a moment before saying, “Wait a sec,” and going silent again, with the only sound coming through the connection being that of rustling paper.

Wait a second, does he-

“Here it is!” he suddenly exclaims before answering my question, “The executive stairwell is hidden in the corner of the symbiont storage room, behind some of the special symbiont containers.”

He really has the blueprints printed out and stuffed somewhere in his office? Are you serious?

I mean, it comes in handy in this situation, but still… also, that location actually makes sense. After all, it’s best to put the executive stairwell in a place that only higher ups can enter.

“Thanks,” I tell him before getting up from the stairs and walking over to the door. “Any news on the situation?”

Dad quickly settles into a business-like tone as he responds, “A little. We’ve basically confirmed that the Eternal Winter has something to do with Cocytus by now, and the Fifth Procedure has finally been called.” My eyebrows raise at that before a faint smile makes its way on my face. “The legislative council should be directly contacting each Tier 5 symbiont host as we speak, so the casualties should drop by a massive amount after this point.”

“That’s great,” I breath out in relief while reaching for the doorknob to BF2.

The Laws of the Fifth are set in place to limit the potential damage Tier 5 symbiont hosts can cause. It directly forbids them from entering combat unless given a direct order from a member of the legislative council, or the general himself. And in the general’s case, he’s forbidden from acting entirely.

Meanwhile the Fifth Procedure basically lifts the laws on the Tier 5s entirely. It allows them to act in combat as they see fit, and even allows the general to do so as well.

Although if it weren’t for the kill code scripted into every terminal that would paralyze the Tier 5’s symbiont were they to break these laws, then I get the feeling that a lot of Tier 5s would have ignored the laws during this. But now they don’t have to worry about it.

It’s just too bad that this base doesn’t have anyone stronger than a Tier 3. In fact, this planet doesn’t have anyone stronger than a Tier 4 symbiont host.

It is a tourist planet after all. Why would there need to be a strong military presence here?

Just a few bases are enough, with a single Tier 4.

“Why are you ask-” dad begins to ask, only to pause as I interrupt him to say, “I have to go. Take care!”

I then cut my connection to the direct port without a hint of hesitation.

Sorry, but I’m not gonna sit here for half an hour listening to you insulting my superior officer when you could be fighting yourself now that the Fifth Procedure has been called. And especially not in the middle of a stairwell when I need to get going myself.

Although that might be a bit of an exaggeration.

I turn the doorknob after narrowing my eyes to focus and search for heat signatures, just to find none. But I quickly find myself shutting the door again when it opens to reveal some strange hairy monster just a couple of meters from the door.

Oh.

Well, that’s not what I was expecting.

A roar follows, and I quickly back up from the door before it gets sent flying off of its hinges by what looks like a large and quite intimidating wolf, whose eyes are the same as most of the other infected monsters and whose chest is letting out the same pale blue glow. Despite its canine form though, it has the size of a bear, and clearly the strength of a super bear at that considering the now wrecked door on the other side of the stairwell that only barely missed me.

“What the fuck are you doing down he-” I cut off as I jump into a roll to avoid the wolf’s charge, letting it ram into the wall with its open muzzle. I then keep my mouth shut to rush off through the doorway while it’s busy gathering its bearings.

Right. There were dogs in the base.

Military trained ones.

Why didn’t I think about that sooner?

Not sure why it looks like a wolf now though. Maybe it’s just because of its massive size?

Either way, I hide on the side of the doorway on BF2 before swinging my sword down the moment I see it charge through. But instead of hitting its neck like I’d wished, the creature’s immense speed makes it fly by and instead makes my sword hit its midsection instead. And it only pierces a couple of inches into it as well, seemingly stopping cold once it hits what I’m guessing are its bones with a chink sound of something hitting ice.

Now that’s just annoying.

The wolf lets out a low growl while swinging its massive paw to strike me directly in the shoulder, batting me straight at the wall where I let out a grunt before falling to the ground. I ignore the pain in my shoulder though and begin getting up again without any hesitation as the monster stumbles a bit and leaks a pale blue blood that drips onto the ground, fortunately not doing anything to it in the process like the spider’s blood.

I narrow my eyes on my sword that’s still stuck in the creature’s back, but I don’t go for it immediately as despite its wounded status, it is still keeping its gaze locked on me.

Surprisingly, it backs up a little and we end up circling each other. Meanwhile I feel the pain lessening in my shoulder as my energy goes down. But at the same time, I don’t see its own wound healing. Which means that not all of the infected have the ability to heal themselves with energy.

Right as I’m about to charge in towards it, a notice appears in my vision that catches me by surprise.