Things Get Slightly Colder
The Leader took that back. The Cookie Bandit was a hindrance. He thought it would be fine before, since most of what he lost from that data hub was information. It was nothing that was important to him; none of the important information that was important to his plan was there at all. He somehow found out online that one of his outposts was destroyed. The nerve! He didn't care if someone had taken his cookies or blown up some meagre outpost, but this... this was straight up disrespectful, and he wasn't going to take this.
If this kept up, not only would his image be shattered, but he might not have enough cookies for his plan. This was fine, though, because he would set up a trap. This way, he might be able to see how he was different from everyone else. He had a strange feeling that this guy... the person who was foiling him, was somehow... familiar? The number of security breaches wasn't normal. Those reports weren't fooling him either, but he had no other methods to figure this out. But now, after the video, he figured out that this was just a single person who was ruining his plans.
No matter. As the Cookie Bandit got more and more bold, he would eventually let his guard down. That's how everyone works. The same principles are behind a casino. When you keep winning, you feel at the top of your world! But when you lose... it feels worse. The key reason being... You had expectations.
"Sergeant Matoke or should I say Executive Matoke, thanks a lot for volunteering!"
"No problem sir. After Veris was killed, I doubt I'd see anyone as skilled as him. It's only reasonable that I help kill the one responsible."
"Yes, well. Go to the island below the Corvac territory. Instructions will be relayed to you once there."
"Sir!"
__________________________________________________________________
Michael had a great feeling about this mission. He had woken up early, neatly folded his clothes and other supplies, and he packed every single thing on his list without forgetting a single thing, even his ironed-out shirt was spotless! Not even a single wrinkle. Usually, he forgot something silly, like a stick of deodorant or a toothbrush. The fact that he remembered everything made him start to believe.
The ride there wasn't particularly interesting. It was just a few days of watching a blue sky that was sometimes cloudy. When they got there, Michael set the ship down near the town that was below the mountains. They couldn't get particularly close to the mountains, mainly because of the risk of avalanches and also the fact that their ship would probably get damaged in the process.
Psssh! A cool breeze greeted them as they stepped out of their ship. Elaine felt something was off. It was more of a feeling; an intuition. Someone was watching them. She tried to shake off the feeling as she, Asia (Asiago's nickname), and Michael went for a stroll in the village. Vendors were selling cooked fish, there were people selling camping supplies, and there were village homes. Everything looked cozy. She realized, while she joined the army to protect these civilians, she also kind of envied them. They had a place to live, a sense of stability, and they didn't need to worry about the fight. That was her job.
She looked at Michael to see what he thought, but he was absolutely freezing. His nose was pink, and he was vibrating so hard that he looked kind of blurry. She chuckled to herself and realized that she wouldn't rather be anywhere else. They stocked up. 4 liters of water per day, that's approximately 56 liters for 2 weeks. Elaine used her freeze touch magic circuit to freeze the food and stored it away in their subspaces. Michael truly realized how difficult this was going to be as he looked up. The mountain was daunting. Shivers went down Michael's already frozen spine. He had to climb this?
Day 1 started out freezing, but it started to feel warmer as they used up energy to climb the mountain. Climbing itself was no easy task. They had to constantly push their mental boundaries to the limit; keep persuading themselves to continue on.
At night, they stopped by a small cave and had fish sticks by the campfire. They were bland by now, but edible and contained lots of protein. Very important. They unzipped their sleeping bags and slid in together, keeping each other warm with the addition of Asia's thick fur as a heat pack. Elaine's feelings had still not been shaken off yet.
By day 8, things were getting harder. Not harder as in getting tired, but harder as in the incline looks like you're walking up a wall. Michael's legs were noodles. Wobbly and shaking even more than they started. Elaine started feeling hopeless, like this would never end. Michael's vibrating wasn't even funny anymore.
Even at night, things were bad. The fish began to taste like vomit and their sleeping bags had rocks in them. Michael was starting to lose it. Sleep was valuable because if you didn't get enough, you would be completely exhausted the next day. Sleep was also something they lacked, getting only around 3-4 hours.
They waddled around like drunkards up the mountain. Asia was the only thing keeping them from falling off.
Zombies were an accurate word to describe them. They groaned. They were already too far in, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just take a short nap... and then...
"Whoa there, kids!" exclaimed a mysterious voice, "You're right there. You can do it."
"Huh?" Michael sluggishly looked up. It was an old man wearing a t-shirt patterned with palm trees and coconuts. He was wearing flip-flops and had a wide toothless grin. The sun glinted off his bald head.
"Didn't you hear me? I said you're right there!"
Michael's eyes widened as the reality of those words struck him like lightning. The fading light in his eyes reignited, and he dragged Elaine along. The old man led the two up the rest of the mountain. The remainder of the climb was nothing compared to what they had endured for the last two weeks. Finally, they were at the end.
There was a small village near the top of the mountain. It was the highest point just before the summit. It was much tinier than what they'd seen at the bottom. Everyone seemed to know each other. There were snowmen, kids making angels; it was a refreshing sight for both Elaine and Michael to see. They both collapsed to the ground. Before they collapsed, though, Asia was barking loudly for some reason, almost hysterical. Oh well, must be because he thought they were dying or something.
Some time later, Michael woke up suddenly. He looked around. He was on a small straw mat, and he felt strangely refreshed. He pulled out his pocket mirror and found that the bags under his eyes were gone. Elaine wasn't there, though. He panicked and ran outside only to find her and Asia playing with the children outside. He sighed in relief. He was worried for nothing. The old man slowly came shuffling along outside.
"That your partner?" he asked, sitting down next to him.
"Yeah. She is. Honestly, I sometimes think that she's too good to be my partner."
"Hah, don't say that, child. No matter how talented someone is, they always need someone to rely on. Be that person."
"I guess. Did you have anyone like that?"
"Nah. This old man has always been alone. It's sorrow, but it's the truth."
"Surely not, surely there's always been someone."
"I was an orphan, actually. My parents died before I was born, and I survived on pity. Pity of the orphanage director and the pity of the people around me when I was on the streets."
"I can't say I relate. I guess I've always been supported by someone."
There was a moment of silence before he started talking again.
"Why don't you go hang out with the kids as well? I'm sure your partner would be happy as well"
"I'm not as fond of kids as she is. I guess she really bonds with them because she believes that kids should have only happy memories. Her family was killed and..."
"I'm so sorry..."
"It is what it is. It worked out for the better anyway. Her desire to help people and protect them is strong. Almost to a fault actually, ha ha. She cares way too much. She'd be absolutely destroyed if one of them were to get hurt."
"There is nothing wrong with helping people, Son. Helping is always harder than hurting, but it's always the right thing to do. Go. Join your friend. Have a good time before you go back down."
"Go back down? There... there is a ski lift or something, right?"
He merely grinned, "If only."
He got up and went inside, leaving a destroyed Michael still sitting on the front steps of the porch. Elaine then joined Michael on the front steps.
"How did you sleep?" she asked, "Have any dreams?"
"Nah, but I can't lie, that was the best sleep I've gotten in forever."
A little boy came over, riding Asia.
"Who's this?" I asked Elaine."
"Oh, that's Eliot. Eliot, would you mind introducing yourself?"
"Ok! Hi, mister, my name is Eliot. I kinda love your dog. Can I keep him?"
" Hi Eliot, my name is Michael, and no, you can't keep that dog because it's my friend's dog."
"But... your friend's not here right now... please... Can I keep Mr. Cuddles?"
"His name is Asiago. But you can call him Asia."
"I love Mr. Cuddles though..."
"Alright... How about this, in return for letting us keep Mr. Cuddles, I'll give you this candy."
"Hmmm... okay! What candy is it?"
"Bubblegum flavored gummies!"
He took the candy and sat in his lap. Michael looked flustered.
"See? And you said you weren't good with children," laughed Elaine.
"I don't know. This child just likes me I guess. Anyway, I had a nice chat with the old man earlier. He seems nic-"
"I don't like him! He's weird!" pouted Eliot.
"I know he seems overly strict and imposing, but he's a really nice guy. You can tell that he's very wise."
Michael put Eliot down and went inside. It was getting dark quickly. Tomorrow, they needed to go slightly farther to make it to the field of flowers. It was at the summit, but they had to walk 2 more miles to reach it. They went to bed a little later than usual since he wasn't as sleepy. We woke up in the late morning the next day to the sound of Eliot playing out in the field.
"Bye, guys! When you come back, I have a present!" he said, poorly hiding two flower wreaths behind his back.
Elaine smiled and waved back, "I'm looking forward to it!" Michael did an awkward wave, but Elaine brought his hand up and waved it vigorously.
Elaine and Michael took their small bags and clambered down the small path. They were careful to walk lightly since stomping would likely create an avalanche.
Around 15 minutes later, they managed to get to the flower field. It looked divine, something straight out of a myth or legend. The flower field radiated this glow that made it look otherworldly. Water droplets shone from the petals of the flowers. The mist gave it this mysteriousness that Michael wished he could've captured. The ice walls had a gradient that fit the setting perfectly.
Asia, who would've normally romped in the flowers, just stayed still and was mesmerized by the beauty of this scene. I looked closely at my tablet to find the right flower. This garden was the home to many rare flowers that could only survive in this specific climate. Cold barely above the temperature at which water freezes and moist.
It was Asia's time to shine. This herb was not like the others in this place. While every plant in the garden was harmless, most of them were like the bitter root.
They'd make themselves taste so bad that any animal would not want to eat them. This plant, however, smelled like a fresh spring day. Every animal wouldn't eat it, not because they couldn't, but simply because they were entranced by its beauty. Like the rest of the garden. It was too good to be devoured.
Asia's reaction was immediate. He avoided plants that had this bitter smell to them, and like a fly going toward the light, he pinpointed the right flower within minutes. We carefully approached it as if it would run away if we made any sudden movements. This flower had to be harvested with the utmost care. You couldn't directly pull it out. You had to take its roots with it. Elaine carefully took a small plant cylinder.
This cylinder was special because it could mimic the same conditions that the plant was in previously. She carefully put the plant in the pot and closed the lid. A magic circuit glowed an icy blue on the cap, and it spiraled outward. Soon, the cap fogged up, and it was clear to see that it was working. Carefully, she put the plant cylinder in her subspace, and we headed back down. With this, we could finally head back down and meet back up with the Cookie Bandit.
__________________________________________________________________
Bucket knew his time here was almost over. The Leader had started sending out purges in the city. For the first time in a while, Crimson City was in an unheard uproar. The citizens were not afraid of him, or as afraid of him anyway, when they saw the Cookie Bandit's videos. It was insane how he managed to do all of that stuff all on his own.
On one particular evening, however, hell broke out. Raids were happening everywhere. No place was safe. He sent a message to the Cookie Bandit to come soon. He could probably stay in the sewers for a little while, even if his position was compromised. People ran out of buildings. He packed his stuff quickly and scampered down the stairs of the inn.
As he passed that familiar alleyway, he saw the same receptionist making his escape. As he was about to get caught, however, Bucket pulled out his gun and shot all of them.
"This way!" he exclaimed. Gratefully, the receptionist followed him. Bucket handed him a map and pointed him in the right direction.
"Thanks, here's a piece of information on the house," he handed him a flash drive and then ran off.
Bucket looked dumbfounded, but kept going. He was going to escape!