The Glacials didn't just freeze the earth, they froze time itself.
Our camp was little more than a cluster of battered tents pinned against howling wind and swirling snow, nestled in a rocky outcrop that barely shielded us from the brutal cold. Even with the layers of thermo-crystals in my Heatskin Suit working overtime, the chill seeped through, gnawing at my skin like a relentless predator.
Koji Nakamura was crouched low beside a flat stone, absorbed in his digital maps. His fingers danced over the holographic projection of Mount Ridgeway's treacherous midridge path. The mountain's jagged teeth pierced the sky, a frozen monolith stretching beyond sight.
"Midridge pass looks clear for now," Koji muttered, voice steady but filled with the nervous excitement only a tech geek could carry in these conditions. "If we stick to the north shelf route, we can avoid the avalanche-prone zones near the lower cliffs. But we have to move fast, there's a storm brewing in the upper crownline."
He looked up at me and nodded. "You ready, Ghost?"
I tightened the straps on my pack, the familiar weight settling on my shoulders like an old friend. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Before leaving the supply tent, I reached inside and pulled out my signature protein bar, the last one left from our ration stash.
Dense, dry, packed with calories. It tasted like dust and survival, but it was the closest thing I had to comfort. If there was one constant on these climbs, it was those bars. I could probably eat them until the end of time.
Emi Tanaka, our medic and resident optimist, bounced beside me, her breath fogging in the air. "I can't believe we're finally moving out! This is going to be amazing. I've been studying frozen flora all year, I'm itching to see what's growing out there."
Her eyes sparkled with warmth against the cold, chestnut hair dusted with frost. She had this infectious energy that made the bleak wasteland feel less like a death sentence and more like an adventure.
Hana Shirogane, sharp-eyed and precise, adjusted the strap on her rifle with deliberate care. Her platinum blonde hair was tucked beneath a sleek cap, and her gaze never wavered from the horizon.
"Boss," she said, voice low but firm. "How many military hours away is the nearest Search and Rescue branch?"
I rubbed my jaw beneath my goggles. "The Shiverpoint Spire? It's thousands of miles. Way out near the eastern flank. And our ship only returns on Sundays."Emi wrinkled her nose. "Didn't Riku say he was going to fix the comms?"
I chuckled. "Riku and 'fixing things' don't really mix. Last I checked, he was drinking cola and flexing his muscles instead."
I glanced over and caught Riku Saito's broad grin as he punched Koji's shoulder with friendly enthusiasm. "Koji, you're a genius, man." Koji, adjusting his round glasses beneath his goggles, shot back with a smirk, "Well, I do have an eidetic memory and an IQ of 170." Riku laughed loudly enough to echo against the ice walls. "Figures."
My gaze drifted downward, over the familiar shapes of my gear.
The Heatskin Suit was a marvel of survival tech, ultra-insulated with embedded thermo-crystals that absorbed and redistributed body heat. It was the difference between walking out of here alive or becoming another frozen corpse in the Glacials.
My Goggles of Vanta rested firmly on my face, the lenses adjusting seamlessly to the low light, feeding me data through their HUD: temperature fluctuations, topography, signal strength. In this frozen wasteland, vision was survival.
At my side, the Cryo-Axe gleamed, a dual-purpose tool, part ice-climber's blade, part weapon. It was worn, scratched from countless encounters, but sharp enough to carve a path through both ice and beast.
Inside my mouth, the SignalFlare Tooth, a small but powerful implant hidden among my molars was a last-ditch safety net. If I fell or was presumed dead, it would broadcast a locator signal, screaming for search and rescue.
And strapped to my wrist, the Chrono-Journal, a digital record of every step, every heartbeat on this climb. Sometimes, I traced its glowing lines late at night, following paths I never took, or paths I was told were impossible.
The wind picked up, whipping the loose snow into biting sheets that cut through the camp. Emi laughed, her breath catching as she playfully nudged Koji. "You're so lucky to be the brains of the operation, Koji! I'd be lost out here without you.
"Koji grinned, eyes shining with pride. "Just wait till I crack the code on the next hidden route. I'm telling you, the mountain's full of secrets."
Hana gave a faint smile but said nothing, already scanning the skyline for any sign of movement , man or beast.
Riku hefted his pack with an easy grin. "Alright, Ghost, time to get moving. The mountain doesn't wait for anyone."I tightened my gloves, adjusted my goggles, and took a deep breath.
The mountain was calling.
We were ready to answer.
At least, that's what I thought.
We broke camp like clockwork, layered in gear, faces hidden behind frost-streaked goggles, boots crunching over ancient snow. Ridgeway towered above us like a frozen god, its jagged ridges shrouded in spiraling wind and ash-gray clouds.
I stepped out last, letting the canvas flap of the final tent fall shut behind me, and tilted my head toward the sky.The clouds churned like a living thing. Not quite a storm, not quite still. Something in-between. The kind of silence that feels like it's listening back.
Koji's voice crackled through the comms in my HUD. "Temperature's dropped another seven degrees in the last hour. We're entering micro-freeze conditions. Wind is spiking too, readings are worse than projected."
I checked the Chrono-Journal on my wrist. Its path-tracing display flickered slightly under the cold, the interface slower than usual. That wasn't a good sign.
"Copy," I muttered. "We push anyway. Adjust our interval spacing to account for drift."
Ahead, the others moved with practiced rhythm, already adjusting their positions along the slope. Riku took point with Hana watching our flank. Emi's bright scarf flapped like a streamer against the dull landscape.
The cold bit deeper the higher we climbed. Not just into the skin, but through the bone. It's hard to explain unless you've been in it. There's a moment when it stops hurting and starts whispering, making you wonder if stopping would feel better than fighting it.
I've been here before.
The wind wailed louder than it should've. Not like air, like something remembering how to scream.Every hiker gets this feeling eventually. The sense that the mountain knows you. And doesn't like you.
I let the others move ahead for a second. Watched their forms fade into snow mist, silhouettes stretching thin and distant.
That's when I heard her voice. Crisp, clear.
"Boss, you alright?"It was Hana, her tone even, but edged. She'd noticed. Of course she had.
I blinked once, twice. My goggles adjusted. "Yeah," I said. "Just thinking."
She nodded, "Well think lesser cause you almost got left behind and its a freezing shit show right now." then turned and followed the others, her rifle slung close, head on a swivel.
I fell back into motion, boots digging into powder-crusted stone, Cryo-Axe strapped to my side, pack shifting with my every step. The wind howled louder now. Each gust sounded like a warning.
The team was already climbing.
I moved to catch up.