Chapter 90: How To Skip A Puzzle (Rewritten)
The cold bite of winter hung heavy over the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone, a jagged expanse of rusting iron and steel shrouded in thick layers of frost. The stone streets of Belobog were covered by a thin layer of snow — most likely cleared by the soldiers.
The horizon was a blur of greys and whites, where the thick, swirling snowstorms seemed to bleed into the very air itself. A distant mountain range loomed like forgotten sentinels, their peaks jagged and sharp, coated in a thick veneer of ice. The land beneath was scarred with old industrial scars — fallen towers, shattered cogwheel-laden walls, and the twisted remnants of once-mighty machines now decaying in the relentless chill.
Naturally, the Silvermane Guards vigilantly patrolled the area. Barricades were left in random positions, being held on standby in case more were needed at the border between the non-corroded areas and the Fragmentum.
A low hum of machinery reverberated through the cold earth, the constant sound of gears turning and pistons pumping. The walls were a patchwork of riveted steel plates, some new and gleaming with the glint of polished metal, others old and corroded, streaked with rust from years of neglect. Lanterns, their glass globes encrusted with frost, flickered weakly along the edges of the zone. The light they emitted was a dull, sickly glow, barely pushing back the encroaching darkness of the winter evening.
The air itself seemed to be made of ice, and every breath was a struggle, a sharp sting in the lungs as the bitter cold nipped at any exposed skin. At least, that would have been the case if Sunny didn’t have the blessing of Trailblaze. For the mundane soldiers however, it must have been dreadful to continuously operate in such frigid conditions.
Serval led them to the entrance of Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone. March nervously glanced around.
"They’ve jacked up security alright... how the heck are we gonna sneak in? Serval, we need one of those brainwaves."
Sunny tilted his head.
’What does that even mean?’
Serval confidently replied:
"Leave it to me. Stick close guys, and don’t get spotted."