Chapter 22: A Brewing Storm
The wind came faster than expected. What had once been a distant white had swallowed the horizon entirely, reducing the world to a blur.
Dolin leaned forward as he walked, bracing himself against the storm.
"This is getting worse," he said over the wind.
Cecilia didn't look at him, her eyes focused ahead.
"We need shelter," she replied.
Blake clicked his tongue, his gaze sweeping the white ahead through the slit of his metal armor.
"There's nothing out here."
The wind howled louder.
Dolin narrowed his eyes, focusing on the terrain. His vision was slowly becoming more obstructed under the accumulating snow.
If they lost their way…
He didn't even want to think about it.
"There," he cried out suddenly.
Blake and Cecilia both turned.
Through the storm, barely visible between the curtains of snow, a dark shape broke through the endless white.
A structure.
***
They approached carefully, drawing closer to the structure.
The closer they got, the clearer its shape became. It was a large building partially buried under the raging snow. Its outer walls warped and cracked by the time and elements.
"What is this?" Blake asked.
"Government building," Cecilia said. "From the Antarctica Campaign."
Dolin studied it.
It didn't look like your typical facility. It was made to survive the harsh weather. Antennas jutted out from one side, half buried in ice.
"A research site, maybe?" he said. "Or perhaps some sort of administrative building."
Blake stepped forward.
"It's better than freezing out here. Get a move on it."
"We need to stay alert," Cecilia said. "It might not be empty."
Dolin nodded, understanding her words.
There could be anything lurking from within.
The main entrance was blocked, snow and ice filling the gaps of what looked like remnants of a doorway.
Without waiting for a response, Blake took his weapon and struck.
He struck again.
And again.
The intensity of the snowstorm was getting worse and worse.
On the twentieth hit, the obstruction gave way just enough to create an opening. Cecilia then took out her own blade and struck at a certain point within the door. It burst open immediately.
Cold air rushed out from within, as cold as the storm itself.
Dolin frowned.
That's not normal.
Still, they had to enter. The difference was immediate.
The howling wind dulled to a distant roar, muffled by the thick metal walls of the building. Inside, the air was still heavy…
And cold.
Frost covered nearly every surface. Walls, floors, even the ceiling was lined with a thin layer of sparkling ice.
Dolin stepped carefully.
Both Cecilia and Blake summoned some sort of light memories.
That's useful.
"Watch your footing," Dolin said.
Blake scoffed but didn't ignore the warning as they moved deeper.
The interior was a maze of run down rooms and corridors. Some rooms were sealed shut by the ice. Old terminals lined the walls in sections, dark and lifeless. Some places were frozen in a state that made them look as if they had just been inhabited the day before.
Cecilia paused near one of the rooms.
"This place wasn't abandoned cleanly."
Dolin followed her gaze.
Papers were scattered across the floor. There were signs of damage, broken tables and snapped chairs along with shattered glass covering the floor.
Signs of haste, and perhaps even a battle.
"Something forced them out," he said.
"Or killed them," Blake added.
***
A low creak echoed from deeper within the building, causing all of them to stop.
Dolin's hand tightened on his Traitorous Edge.
"...Only wind," Blake said for a moment.
"Maybe," Cecilia added.
They continued forward, the corridor opening into a wider room.
This one was less damaged. A large table sat in the center, surrounded by overturned chairs. Storage units lined the walls, some smashed open as if opened in a hurry, others still intact.
The important thing was…
It's protected.
The room had no windows, only being a storage room. It was big enough for the three of them, and only had one entrance to watch for.
Cecilia exhaled quietly.
"We can rest here. For now."
Dolin sighed.
That could have been bad.
They had just survived a storm and didn't know what could have possibly been inside the building.
Dolin scanned the room.
He exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. The ache from the fight earlier still lingered beneath his battered armor.
"We rotate the watch?" he asked.
Cecilia nodded. "I'll take first."
Blake leaned in a corner, back against the wall. "Wake me if you get scared," he sneered.
Dolin only smiled, not responding. He moved to the far side of the room, resting his head against the cold metal wall.
For a while… there was only silence.
***
It started subtly. A sort of cold feeling. And then a pressure. It was as if it was both physical, and yet not, at the same time.
It felt like the air had grown heavier. Like something unseen was pressing down on his shoulders. Not enough to hurt, but enough to notice.
He shifted slightly.
"...Do you feel that?" he asked.
"What?" Cecilia asked.
"Nothing," he said after a second.
Perhaps the exhaustion or cold was just getting to him. But it was still there. An unhinging chill that he could feel.
Blake let out a scoff. "If you're already imaging things you won't last long."
Dolin ignored him.
But still…
The feeling didn't go away.
What seemed like hours passed.
Or maybe even longer.
Time felt… off.
Dolin's gaze drifted across the room again. The tables, chairs, the thin layer of frost lining every surface.
It's too quiet. Too…
A sudden flicker of irritation rose in his chest, causing him to frown.
Where did that come from?
There was no reason for it. He didn't even get irritated when Blake made snarky comments. Nothing had changed.
And yet, the feeling lingered, like a low and simmering annoyance that had no clear target.
Dolin exhaled, forcefully shoving the emotion down.
Across the room, Blake shifted.
"...This place is annoying," he muttered.
Cecilia glanced at him. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing," he said, but his tone was sharper than it had been before.
Dolin's eyes narrowed.
So it's not just me.
But then the pressure grew. It wasn't stronger exactly, just becoming harder to ignore. Dolin rubbed his temple.
Focus.
He needed to stay focused. His thoughts began to drift. Fragments of his memories surfaced without reason.
Memories of his family. His father. His mother and sister. They were gone. The feeling of barely surviving.
His grip tightened unconsciously.
Why am I thinking about that now?
He had already made peace with that. He had survived.
He needed to focus. His sight was becoming blurred, and a deep irritation was swelling up from within him.
Damn it.
He summoned the Crown of Quiet Resolve. Almost instantly, the irritation toned down.
A sharp sound broke the silence.
Metal scraping. Dolin's head snapped up. Blake had moved, pacing back and forth near the wall. His movements were restless.
"Stop that," Cecilia said. "What are you doing?"
Blake shot her a look, his voice sharp as if he was in a drunken state, "Stop what?"
He let out a breath through his nose, but didn't stop immediately. After calming himself, he forced himself still.
"...This place is messing with my head," he muttered.
Cecilia didn't respond right away.
"Me to. I had to summon this memory to clear my head," Dolin said.
Cecilia then opened her mouth.
"There is something messing with our minds. Maybe some sort of metal attack. We can't stay here."
Dolin watched her. She looked tense as well. Her grip on her sword was tight.
But then…
Another wave it.
This time, it was sharper. The cold in the building became fiercer, as if it was touching him directly.
"You're right. Something is messing with us."
Silence stretched again.
Blake exhaled sharply.
"This is stupid," he said. "It's just pressure. Maybe the exhaustion is getting to us."
His voice was calm now, but there was something underneath it. Something tight, like he was forcing certainty.
Cecilia spoke quietly. "Then why does it feel like it's getting worse."
By then, they had already made their way away from the room, thinking that was the source of the pressure. But no matter where they went, the pressure followed.
They needed to do something.
And quick.