Eternal Winter's Reign - Book 2 - Chapter 15 - The First Nest (Patreon)

                                                               Alexander North

After killing my way through half of the nest without much struggle, I finally find something to give me pause. A powerful energy source that I didn’t sense when I was at the entrance of the cave. One strong enough to take on a Tier 3 Symbiont Host.

Why didn’t I sense this earlier?

|The energy source is most likely hibernating judging by the different, calmer frequency of its energy compared to everything else you have encountered thus far.|

Hibernating?

I frown at that before deciding to push onwards. Because if it’s just Tier 3 in terms of strength then I should be able to take it on myself. Especially if it’s hibernating right now.

Even if it wakes up from its hibernation it’s bound to be drowsy for a while, which would hurt its combat efficiency.

Just several seconds later more wendigos begin charging straight down the tunnel of the cave system I’m in making up the nest, but all of them are only as strong as a Tier 1 Symbiont Host. So I move faster than them, tearing a few of the creatures in half with ease before grabbing the last one and raising it into the air with my clawed hand, simply watching as frost spreads from the physical contact of my hand. But it’s only spreading on the wendigo, not on me. Which shows that our little ‘ability’ to freeze things we touch doesn’t make us immune to the same ability. Although it probably does give us a resistance.

I watch for several seconds as the wendigo slowly freezes alive before I grip my hand, shattering the ice that its throat has been frozen into, and continue moving through the tunnel.

If I had to guess, the resistance is probably based on how much energy the two parties in question have. And since I have a lot more energy than that wendigo had, its ‘ability’ – a rather good name to call this magic-like power that I can do through the cold energy – didn’t affect me at all. Meanwhile my ability easily affected it.

Would you say that’s a safe assumption, terminal?

|Affirmative. Frozen one’s powers stemming from the use of cold energy now designated as ‘abilities.’ All frozen ones consistent of cold energy have a resistance to abilities dependent on how much cold energy the frozen one possesses, how much cold energy the ability takes to use, how much cold energy is in the frozen one’s body at the time of the attack, and the frozen one’s intent.|

Meaning these weaker frozen ones don’t pose a threat to me at all, and I can kill them without even really attacking them. Just by grabbing them and letting the things freeze alive.

Wait, you mentioned that intent affects the abilities?

|Affirmative. If the user of the ability does not wish to kill whatever they are attacking, the ability will be significantly less effective. One instance proving this to be true is when you made physical contact with other humans such as the chairperson.|

Right. Considering how I froze that frozen one alive without much difficulty, the fact that I didn’t freeze the chairperson or anyone else I’ve touched beyond some frost building up on them proves that well enough. Not to mention my old armor, which was completely covered in frost even if it hadn’t frozen.

Looks like there’s a limit to how much my ability will do if I don’t want it to do something. But at the same time, I don’t think there’s a way to stop my ability permanently.

A rather annoying issue.

|Affirmative.|

Although… I glance at my armor as I continue walking through the tunnel, finding it to barely have any frost on it.

The armor that uses cold energy as a power source doesn’t freeze from contact. Probably because it has cold energy of its own to fight off the invading cold energy.

A very nice use for the cold energy sourced armor.

Not to mention that it could hold up against the wendigos attacks, unlike the non-powered armor. So the armor isn’t just for appearances anymore.

My thoughts pause as I find more wendigos and some frozen one bears charging towards me. But I deal with these creatures just as quickly as I dealt with the last.

I can’t help but notice that the frozen ones are growing stronger the further I get into this nest though.

Something to keep in mind.

I wonder if Alexia is awake yet?

|It is estimated that the girl is most likely awake by now. Furthermore, there is a ninety-three percent chance that she is upset with you.|

Yeah, probably. But this is my first time in a nest, and I don’t know just how dangerous it is yet.

Although just the fact that there’s a frozen one as strong as a Tier 3 Symbiont Host here makes me glad I didn’t take her. Because the thing seems to be about as strong as me, and that’s only judging by its energy. It may be a frozen one that doesn’t focus directly on energy and could be even stronger than me.

And I don’t want to have to look after a kid while fighting it, even if that kid can defend herself from weaker frozen ones.

I sigh at the thought of going back to the base and seeing the angry little kid. Then I shake my head and narrow my eyes, focusing solely on the nest as more frozen ones start charging down the tunnel towards me.

It’s probably safe to assume that there’s a higher Tier frozen one leading each of these nests, but will it always be a Tier 3 Symbiont Host equivalent one? Or will there be Tier 2 Symbiont Host equivalent nest leaders?

The fact that there are Tier 4 Symbiont Host equivalent ones shows that they’re at least not all Tier 3, not to mention how the doctor didn’t give me any details on there being a Tier 3 in the first place. Though it didn’t sound like they’d cleared out any of the nests themselves, so they might just not have known at all.

|Based on the physical responses the user designated ‘the doctor’ had during your conversation, it is unlikely that she has lied to you.|

I blink at that right before clashing with the frozen ones.

You can tell if someone lies?

|Affirmative, however it is not one hundred percent accurate.|

Cool.

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