The Eternal Winter - Book 2 - Chapter 8 - Delta Base (Patreon)

                                                       Alexander North

The trip West to their base doesn’t take very long since we’re all either symbiont hosts or frost infused, so we make it within an hour of leaving the base. And when we get there, my first thought is how much smaller this base is than the base I was stationed at. Although that’s probably because the base I was stationed at was base Alpha for this planet. The main base. Whereas I believe this base is Delta.

Anyways, the guards stationed at the front of the gate gawk at me and Alexia for a moment before opening the gate after the chairperson tells them to open it.

I glance at Alexia, who is holding my sleeve and walking just behind me to an angle, not exactly hiding behind me but clearly using me as a shield if only slightly.

As it turns out, the person who had spied on us and found us in the capital didn’t know about Alexia, so the chairperson was rather delighted to find her with us. Although he didn’t seem to be very please about how she has behaved towards him. Specifically, how she’s been trying her very best to ignore him.

I look around the base as we step inside. The base itself is, I believe, only above ground with no below ground portions, unlike Alpha base which is mostly underground. And this base is in pretty good condition. It’s also in a spot that doesn’t get much of the eternal winter passing by.

In fact, it’s mostly clear right now with very little snow. Which I find rather uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as I would’ve expected.

The only other thing that the lack of the storm seems to do to me is make it a little harder to use my energy. Something that can be inconvenient in battle, but not something that’ll likely get me killed. Especially considering how rare places with this little eternal winter supposedly are.

The chairperson guides us through the base under the gazes of all the people living here, both soldiers and civilians. And unsurprisingly, there are a couple people here who are openly hostile towards me and Alexia. What is surprising though is that it’s only a couple. Not the entire base.

Then again, they’ve had one of those mutants living here for a while now. So I guess it makes sense. They’re probably already a little used to living with someone who isn’t human anymore.

Speaking of the mutant, a woman with two crystal horns growing out of her head and several spikes growing out of her shoulders walks out of the base entrance only to stop and stare when she notices us.

I raise a brow as we approach, breaking her out of her short stupor before she starts walking over and greets the chairperson with a brief, “Chairperson,” and a nod. Then she just walks right past him, to his obvious displeasure.

And the fact that no one seems surprised, that no one even seems to care cements the chairperson’s position in this base in terms of respect. Almost as if the only reason the people are here under him is because he’s a chairperson. Not because they respect him.

Which makes getting rid of him even easier. Or at least, it would if he wasn’t so cautious, something I realized when he came to us with two dozen symbiont hosts. Because even if I could kill them all, which I don’t know if I can, I wouldn’t want to. Especially since they’re just following orders.

Once the mutated woman reaches me, she pauses and looks around my body, likely for mutations. Then she frowns when she fails to find any.

“They’re not mutants,” Cynthia says from next to us, a lot more friendly with this woman than she is the chairperson.

That statement seems to surprise the woman as he pitch black eyes widen slightly in surprise, only to narrow as she says, “Frost infused then?”

I nod. “Correct.”

She purses her lips for a second before shrugging and reaching her hand out, “Name’s Tess Martin.”

I accept her offer as I answer, “Alexander North.”

Her eyebrows rise at that as she tilts her head, “Noble?”

I just nod.

Tess stares at me for a few seconds before shrugging again and letting go of my hand as she says, “Well, it’s nice to meet you Alex. I hope you’re not locked in a cage like the princess here.” She nods at Cynthia at that part.

Meanwhile the chairperson looks like he’s about to blow a gasket.

“I should leave before he pops,” she says with a wave, making the chairman even angrier as she begins to walk away.

Well then. She was not what I was expecting when I heard the chairperson had a mutant in his base.

Anyways, terminal? Did you get a reading on her?

|Affirmative.|

And the results?

|She has three point zero five points in energy, and the signature indicates that she has been assimilated with cold energy for a total of three and a half months.|

Nothing on her physical statistics?

|It is impossible to get a precise reading of another beings physical statistics without either physically testing them or having a connection to them, however the estimate that I have come to marks the woman’s physical stats to overall average at about two each.|

Not bad then. Although nowhere near close to being a threat to me. She’s not even as strong as the Tier 2 Symbiont Hosts here yet.

|Affirmative. However, as she uses cold energy, she will be able to grow far faster than them and has inherent abilities that neither humans nor symbiont hosts have.|

True.

I turn around to find the chairperson glaring at the woman’s back. So I clear my throat, making him remember that I exist before he quickly apologizes and has us continue walking further into the base.

Yeah, I really do not like this guy.

After we pass through the doors into the four or so story building, the doors close behind us. Then the guards all split up, half of them leaving likely to do their own thing with the other half continuing with us deeper into the building.

Well, time to see what this idiot has to say.

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