After what felt like an eternity, they finally caught sight of Lady Ayana standing beside a massive rock and a cluster of trees. She was already aware of their approach, turning her face towards their direction and occasionally waving her hand.
"Are both of you alright?" She greeted Tristan and Valeria with a caring question.
"Yes, Lady Ayana," said Tristan and Valeria in unison, positioning themselves beside her.
"I sensed that you are cold, Tristan. Are you sure you're alright?" Lady Ayana asked, her words implying her knowledge of what happened when Tristan and Valeria hid under the snow.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I exerted too much power during the landing, but Valeria helped me recover quickly. Just a bit tired," he replied with a smile, channeling more power to warm himself up.
"Alright, I trust you can handle yourself," Lady Ayana responded with a hint of doubt. Then, she turned her attention to Valeria.
"Now, about Prince Alexander. I know you both wondered why he isn't here," she paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Well... our plan didn't succeed in keeping the drone tailing my plane."
Valeria gasped at Lady Ayana's words while Tristan remained silent, his eyes clearly reflecting his worry.
Lady Ayana continued, "So, Alex decided to lure the drone and make himself the sole target by ascending alone to the mountain's peak. He allowed us to reach our target location undetected—a small village named Frostholm, half a day's walk from here."
"Shall we proceed, Lady Ayana?" Valeria asked, surveying their surroundings with unease. "This place feels too exposed, Ma'am," she added.
"No, we can't leave now. It's almost dark, and the fog is too thick. We need to camp nearby. My AI detected a small cave around two hundred feet south of here. Let's head there," she commanded, taking the lead.
Valeria followed closely behind Lady Ayana without hesitation while Tristan walked in their wake.
"Keep your eyes on me and set your AI to track my body heat. Follow my movements in case we get separated. Understood?" Lady Ayana instructed, now communicating through the radio despite being right in front of them.
As soon as she spoke, a noise resonated from above them—a deep thumping sound that shattered the previously quiet atmosphere. Everyone froze, turning their attention toward the source of the sound.
"It's an avalanche!" Tristan shouted, reaching for Valeria's hand, ready to pull her away from the danger. Lady Ayana, hearing Tristan's words, grew alarmed. Her lips moved, seemingly whispering something to her AI.
Then, a few seconds later...
"That can't be! Run, everyone, run!" she screamed, setting off in a sprint while gesturing urgently for Tristan and Valeria to follow.
Without a moment's hesitation, Tristan lunged forward, pulling Valeria along. Shocked but quick to react, Valeria matched Tristan's stride, desperately trying to keep up.
"Is it really an avalanche, Ma'am?" Tristan asked through the radio while running, his exceptional physical condition allowing him to speak without gasping for breath.
"No, it's not an avalanche. It's something else, something far worse! Check your AI!" Lady Ayana affirmed, maintaining her pace without signs of fatigue.
"Daggo, scan and identify that sound," Tristan whispered to his AI as they continued their rapid escape.
"It's Frigusfera, Master! A mythical Snow Monster and it's heading in our direction, Sir!" Daggo swiftly replied, omitting the usual pleasantries, seemingly aware of the impending danger.
Upon hearing this, a look of shock crossed Tristan's face. Valeria, too, was taken aback when her AI confirmed the same information.
Tristan increased his speed, lengthening his strides while still firmly holding Valeria's hand. Valeria matched his pace, pushing herself to keep up.
The ominous sound grew closer as Lady Ayana shouted that their destination was nearby.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Tristan's mind. Without fully comprehending it, he pulled Valeria closer to Lady Ayana, moving in the opposite direction towards the source of the sound. He was heading towards the creature.
"TRISTAN!" Valeria shouted his name, but he paid no attention, determined to confront the monster and buy Valeria and Lady Ayana more time to reach the safety of the cave.
Drawing his pistol with his right hand and channeling power into his left hand to create a shield, Tristan ran towards the sound.
Fear was absent from his mind; instead, a sense of excitement coursed through him as Daggo relayed information about the creature. It was described as a whitish-blue-skinned, serpent-like beast with four small legs. Feasting on any kind of flesh, dead or alive, it could swiftly move across the snow and even leap. Its razor-sharp teeth could decimate flesh with a single bite, but the most perilous aspect was its poisonous saliva.
The creature possessed the ability to shoot and spray copious amounts of its saliva onto its prey. Exposure to the saliva caused immediate and severe frostbite, resulting in the death of the affected skin and underlying flesh.
Armed with this knowledge, Tristan formulated a strategy to engage the creature as he drew closer to the source of the sound. However, to his surprise, the sound abruptly ceased, causing the creature's blip to vanish from Daggo's radar.
It turned out that Daggo detected the creature using movement and noise sensors. When combined with a sonar sensor, it generated a 3D image of the creature for analysis.
Tristan found himself in a white, foggy environment as he started firing his pistol blindly. He couldn't see his target but relied on his AI's guidance and acute hearing to accurately aim his pistol.
This was the first time Tristan Moonstone, his new identity, had fired a gun. However, his past experience as Tristan Quinn equipped him with the necessary confidence and skills to handle firearms like a seasoned special forces soldier.
After emptying his entire 15-round magazine and swiftly reloading, Tristan felt assured that his bullets had struck the creature. He stood silently, his gaze cautiously scanning the surroundings, his left hand poised a few inches before his chest, maintaining the power shield.
The serpent-like head of the colossal beast lunged toward him, spewing its poisonous saliva. Fortunately, it collided with the shield. Instinctively, Tristan moved backward while firing his pistol, hitting the creature's head and forcing it to recoil before launching another assault.
Tristan now had a clear view of the gigantic snake-like monster. Its whitish-blue skin gleamed as it spat again in Tristan's direction. He also observed that his bullets failed to penetrate its skin, though the impact seemed to inflict pain upon the beast.
Holstering his pistol and unsheathing his sword, Tristan muttered, "Round two."