In the territories of Ursus, winter is a perennial topic of conversation. Within this nation, many regions spend more than half the year buried under perennial snow. This was especially true for the Northern Tundra, a place where the cold was significantly more extreme than in other areas; the frigid air here was capable of freezing a person to death where they stood.
"This godforsaken weather... if it weren't for those damn Infected, we wouldn't be out here suffering like this."
Several soldiers of the Imperial Guard, clad in black robes, muttered curses under their breath. They moved with difficulty, their jet-black long boots sinking deep into the snow that reached up to their waists. If they weren't on patrol, they should have been huddled in their small shacks, stewing thick soup and drinking strong spirits beside a warm, crackling bonfire.
"Stop complaining! Things aren't exactly prosperous for us right now. Be careful the Captain doesn't hear you and decide to make an example out of you!"
A veteran nearby shot a glance at the complaining soldier. This fellow was a green recruit, a "newbie" who had likely harbored some beautiful dream that coming here would mean living the easy life. What a fantasy.
Ever since a large group of their ranks had followed the regular army to deal with "something" a while back, the Imperial Guard had been suffering from a glaring manpower shortage. They had been forced to deploy even these barely-trained runts. No one knew exactly what it was they had been fighting. The few who returned alive spent every night screaming about "monsters," making it impossible for anyone else to get a decent night's sleep.
As for the final solution? Naturally, those survivors were sent to a military hospital in the rear for "recuperation." Whether that was the truth remained a matter of deep suspicion among the ranks. Regardless, the Captain said they had killed a Tumor-Beast upon their return, and the men had eaten meat for several days afterward. The only thing was, the meat tasted strange—perhaps the Tumor-Beast had just been old.
"Stay sharp. The Captain said those Infected have been attacking the nearby mines frequently lately. If we run into them, we'll have to fight for our lives."
A guard officer at the front glanced back at the chatting soldiers but didn't open his mouth to stop them. This snowy wasteland was far too boring; if he didn't let them talk, these men would go stir-crazy.
"But this place really is absurdly cold. I feel like if I tried to take a leak right now, it would freeze solid before it even hit the ground," the recruit said, shivering. He was a soldier from the south of Ursus and truly wasn't adjusted to the extreme, lethal cold of the north.
In truth, his future shouldn't have involved being a guard here. He should have been a military policeman in a major city or a patrol officer on the barrens. Unfortunately, among his batch of new recruits, those who didn't offer enough bribes to the officers were thrown out here to fill the vacancies left by previous losses.
"Freeze before it hits the ground? Careful this wind doesn't freeze your 'manhood' right off!"
"Hahahahahaha!!!!"
A gruff voice spoke with a mocking tone, followed immediately by the thunderous laughter of the surrounding colleagues. Everyone seemed amused by the recruit's comment. As for the recruit himself? Beneath his face mask, his face turned a bright, burning red. He wanted to retort to the veteran, but after opening his mouth several times, he eventually closed it.
Saying nothing, he simply turned his head away to avoid their mockery, gazing instead at the endless, pristine snowy landscape. He had never seen snow this heavy in his life. Amidst the white, one could vaguely see snow rabbits—small white creatures bounding happily in the distance like spirits of the frost. They looked quite large, though; one of them would likely need a whole pot to cook. Sadly, they were too far away, well beyond the effective range of the crossbow in his hand.
"I feel like it's getting even colder than before," he muttered to himself, rubbing his hands together.
They had only been walking for a short while, yet he felt the temperature had dropped another notch. It was so cold that he reached for the flask at his waist, intending to take a swig. In this weather, only high-proof spirits could provide a sliver of warmth.
"Drink sparingly! Save some so you don't run out later on the road," the kind-hearted veteran beside him warned.
"True enough... but seriously, why is this ghost weather so cold? I feel like my very blood is starting to freeze..."
Suddenly, the veteran sensed something was wrong. No matter how wretched this place was, it shouldn't be this cold—unless the freezing temperatures were man-made!
"Careful! It might be an ambu—"
Before he could finish, he realized his legs could no longer move. In that split second, terrifying ice began to spread from his feet, crawling up his body. Beside him, every single guard found their legs frozen solid, losing all sensation. They could only grab their weapons, looking around their surroundings with panicked vigilance.
"Hoorahhhhhhh!"
In an instant, a group of figures clad in white robes suddenly lunged out from the surrounding area. They had used their white robes and the pure snow to perfectly camouflage their forms, waiting here for the fish to take the bait.
"It's casters! Watch out for their Arts—"
Before he could finish the sentence, a volley of crossbow bolts from the Yeti Squadron rained down upon them. In a flash, several Ursus soldiers were struck in their vitals and collapsed into the snow.
"A splendid ambush. We've completed the mission once again!"
The Yeti members chatted cheerfully about the success of the ambush, walking forward to confirm that the Guard bastards were thoroughly dead. They began to scavenge anything useful from the bodies.
"Sami, do you want these boots? Didn't you say your current pair was getting old? Look—brand new!" a Yeti member said, holding up the recruit's boots to show his teammate.
This was a long-standing habit of theirs. In the past, they had no steady supply of resources; everything they owned had to be stripped from the enemy. In their poorest times, they would even strip the underwear off the dead, wash them, and see if they were wearable. While they were much wealthier now, the habit of looting spoils remained. At least this time, they didn't feel the need to take the outer clothing.
"I wonder how Big Sister and the others are doing. Hurry up, clean up the bodies and get back into position!"
Their target today was a large-scale mining camp, with the goal of rescuing three hundred Infected held within. They just didn't know how many of those three hundred would still be alive by the time they arrived. This particular squad was only responsible for guarding the perimeter to catch anyone trying to escape and to meet any fleeing comrades.
As for the corpses? They simply tossed them nearby. The snow would soon cover them, and the sharp-nosed Fangs and Crag-beasts would handle the rest of the cleanup.
Not far from this location, a fierce battle was unfolding inside a massive mining camp. The guards and hired thugs left to protect the facility were fighting back in terror against the nightmare before them.
Two terrifying figures stood at the forefront. One manipulated ice to freeze their comrades solid, while the other's flames were so intense they dissolved the crossbow bolts mid-air.
"Where's the boss? Why can't we see him at a time like this!"
Without leadership, the guards were like headless flies. Talulah and the others barely had to do anything before the defenders fell into such chaos that they couldn't even maintain a defensive formation.
"No wonder the scouts said the guards here were all useless hacks," FrostNova remarked coldly, watching the enemies before her. She didn't even need the Yeti Squadron members behind her to act; the alternating Originium Arts of her and Talulah were enough to wipe them out.
"Even if this isn't a high-yield mine, the guards shouldn't have been this pathetic in the past. Where did everyone go?" Talulah frowned, looking deep into the facility, worried that this might be a trap.
"I took care of the leaders and did a sweep of the area. There are no hidden reinforcements inside."
Suddenly, a figure clad in white emerged from the shadows—it was Lyudmila (Crownslayer), who had infiltrated earlier for assassinations. Her usual black attire, which would have been too conspicuous here, had been swapped for white clothing to facilitate movement in the snow. However, on the hood behind her, there were still two decorations resembling rabbit ears that she had sewn on herself. No one knew why she was so fond of that shape.
"However, when I led the people out, I did a rough count. There are at most a hundred Infected left in this camp. As for the missing ones... they've killed quite a few these past few days, claiming it was to 'save on rations.'"
Lyudmila pointed toward the Infected behind her. At this moment, there were fewer than fifty elderly, weak, or sick Infected following her. As for those with any physical strength left, they had already taken advantage of the chaos to flee.
"So many dead... and we came here as soon as we received the news."
Hearing Lyudmila's report, both Talulah and FrostNova furrowed their brows. It seemed that with the arrival of the Great Winter, the Infected on the tundra were once again facing their most difficult and deadly time.