[Setting: The Siberian Wilderness, High in the Altai Mountains - Blizzard]
The blizzard was a blinding, deafening white hell. Leo and Lara were scrambling uphill, dragging the massive, sedated weight of Jonah between them. The wind tore at their clothing, and the biting cold threatened hypothermia. Behind them, the sounds of shouting and the whine of snowmobiles—Trinity reinforcements—cut through the storm.
Lara was exhausted, but her mind was reeling more from the betrayal than the physical strain.
"It was Ana, Leo," Lara gasped, using the edge of the slope for temporary cover. Her voice was raw with disbelief. "She was with them! Why would she drug him? She's… she was family!"
"We don't have time for why, Lara! We keep moving! Up!" Leo shouted, his voice hoarse. He had to prioritize tactical necessity over emotional truth. He could not yet confirm Ana's role as Konstantin's sister, as that would expose his meta-knowledge and distract Lara during a critical escape.
"She's compromised, Lara! That's all we know! Her people are right behind us! Up the ice wall!"
Leo checked his System. The Trinity pursuers were closing the gap, their enhanced gear and snowmobiles giving them a brutal advantage. He had to create an impassable barrier.
He looked at the vertical ice wall ahead—the perfect bottleneck.
"Lara, you take Jonah up the wall! I'll secure the path behind us!" Leo commanded, shoving his Advanced Grapple-Axe into her hand. "The axe is designed for this! Get Jonah secured on that ledge and come back for me!"
Lara nodded, her professional instincts kicking in despite the emotional turmoil. She jammed the Grapple-Axe into the ice and, with a grunt, began the perilous ascent, pulling Jonah's inert weight with impossible strength.
Leo turned back to the slope. Two Trinity soldiers, visible as dark shapes in the blinding snow, were gaining fast on foot, rifles raised. He needed a trap that would stop a pursuit dead in its tracks.
He grabbed the last remnants of the high-octane fuel from the burning snowmobile's wreckage—which he had quickly collected—and pulled out some salvaged circuit wire and a tin can.
System Notification!
[Crafting Attempt: Tier 3 Incendiary Trap (Fuel-Wire Trap)]
Materials: High-Octane Fuel, Circuit Wire, Scrap Casing.
Skill Check: Mind (16) + Strength (16) – Success (High Quality!)
[Weapon Crafted: High-Yield Fuel Bomb (1 Unit)]
Leo quickly planted the crude but highly volatile fuel bomb just below the steepest section of the climb. He ran a long, thin wire fuse back to his position, hiding it beneath a pile of loose snow.
The Trinity soldiers reached the base of the climb. They paused, surveying the vertical ice wall.
"They're scaling the cliff! Don't let them get away!" one soldier yelled.
Leo waited until the lead soldier placed his heavy, armored boot precisely over the buried explosive.
He pulled the wire.
KA-BOOM!
The fuel bomb detonated with a bright, terrifying flash of heat and fire, turning the lower section of the ice wall into a blinding inferno. The ice cracked violently, and the sheer force of the explosion sent the two Trinity soldiers tumbling backward down the slope, their mission abandoned.
Leo quickly scrambled up the cliff face. Lara was waiting for him on a narrow, snow-covered ledge, Jonah securely laid out against the rock.
"That was not in the tourist guide," Lara muttered, her eyes wide from the close call. "You turned a slope into an oven."
"Efficient dispersal of resources," Leo retorted, pulling himself onto the ledge. He was shaking from the cold and the adrenaline.
The blizzard began to worsen, reducing visibility to zero. The Trinity pursuit was momentarily foiled.
They huddled against the rock face, using their combined body heat and specialized gear to protect Jonah from the elements.
Lara gently checked Jonah's pulse. "He's stable. Just out of it. The sedative is wearing off slowly."
Leo used the precious downtime to focus on the terrain ahead. His Mind (16) was already mapping their escape route and pinpointing the next crucial Tier 3 objective.
"The wind is blowing us toward the abandoned Soviet installation," Leo whispered, pointing vaguely into the whiteout. "It's the only large structure for miles. It will provide shelter, but it's guaranteed to be a Trinity base or a major checkpoint."
Lara nodded, her hand gripping the cold metal of her axe. "We need shelter, Leo. And we need to get Jonah warm. Trinity will be here the moment the storm clears."
The blizzard raged for another half hour. When it finally subsided, it revealed a landscape of crystalline beauty and terrifying emptiness. Far below, the burning wreck of the snowmobile was a dark stain in the white.
They strapped Jonah to a rudimentary sled made from salvaged scrap and began the long, treacherous descent toward the faint, gray silhouettes of the Soviet base.
As they moved, Leo spotted a large, strange symbol—a faded, stylized bird—painted on a nearby rock face, half-hidden by ice.
System Alert!
[Tier 3 Objective Identified: The GEO-THERMAL VALLEY]
Primary Goal: Locate the entrance to the Lost City of Kitezh and secure the ATLAS.
Sub-Goal: Acquire survival gear and establish a base camp at the Soviet Installation.
The game had officially begun. The Siberian cold was their primary antagonist, but Trinity's presence meant the sanctuary they sought would inevitably become a warzone.
Chapter End.