Frostbound [LitRPG Apocalypse]-Chapter 231 - Obelisk

In an area far away from human habitation, where Winter reigned and the light of the Sun hadn't blessed the land in weeks, a disturbance was taking place. Eternal darkness blanketed the area for a week and would continue to do so for weeks more, but that wasn't what caused such a change.

A storm nearly a mile wide was responsible for such a shift.

The already formidable winter winds carried snow and ice alike as it spiraled around a dome at the storm's center. If one were to look deeper, past the physical representation of the elements, one would gaze upon the reason for such a disturbance.

The mana in the area funneled into the dome at a rate that sent the surroundings into a frenzy. The flow was so detached from its normal paths that it clashed with the magic outside of the storm's influence.

The beasts in the area had felt the shift at first and noticed the subtle draw that siphoned some of the mana away but thought nothing of it. They'd felt a beast evolve before and knew what the process entailed.

The area would return to normal in a day or two and all would be fine.

Except the draw didn't end.

Days turned into a week, then into two.

The draw only seemed to increase, and more mana rushed in to replace the amount siphoned. The localized storm grew more intense as more and more of the mana currents were disrupted and the concentration grew.

Some beasts, the smaller and less proud, took it as a sign. They left the area for fear of what was to come and knew they wouldn't stand a chance. Some stayed and basked in the dense magic taking the opportunity given to them using it to grow as fast as they could.

None noticed the dome at the storm's center. None even considered that it was the cause of all the disruption.

That wasn't their concern. The only thing they had on their minds was to make use of this opportunity while it lasted.

Tracy

"Ma'am, the Southwest Dungeon is sending out a stream of Dungeon Monsters into the surroundings! Shipments from Greenfield have been halted as the City prepares for a siege." A runner came rushing in adding to her laundry list of problems since Nick left.

"Without those supplies, all construction will come to a standstill!" Monica, her head foreman exclaimed.

"I know, Monica, but there's nothing I can do about it." Tracy sighed.

She fought the urge to rub her temples in frustration for what felt like the millionth time. Bruises had already formed from her doing it so much already and she was attempting to break the habit.

Nick had truly gone and screwed her. She told him what would happen. Even knowing it would, it still stressed her out when her predictions came to fruition.

Who would've thought taking all of our fighting force on a campaign would leave us in dire straits? Who could have predicted we would be in this situation when he came back and took half her construction crew?

When Nick arrived back to the City with a smug grin and an ego the size of Texas, she had wanted to slap the man silly. Besides trying to remain underestimated, there was another reason she hadn't entertained the thought.

Nick felt... different.

Tracy wasn't sure what it was, or how he did it, but there was a wellspring of power around the man since he returned and she wasn't sure if she would win in a head-on confrontation.

All the training and skills she picked up to make up for her offensive weakness didn't feel like it would be enough in the face of whatever Nick did.

She'd asked him, revealing what she could sense vaguely to not tip her hand, but Nick refused to answer. Stating she would know when it was time.

The bastard.

The fact he hadn't galivanted off to conquer another city was the only good thing that came upon his return. She wouldn't have known what to do if he came back demanding more fighters.

Instead, he came demanding workers.

The scant few that she had left. The City he managed to conquer was in dire need of repair and fortifications that he took all of her best in the trades. Then, to make it even worse, he took the fighters with him as well stating that without walls or fortifications, he needed them to defend his new Capital.

Hearing that he planned to move his Capital wasn't that big of a surprise. She'd known that ever since reports of the perpetual storm around the Northwestern City he would pack up and move.

Tracy wasn't sure whether to be relieved or hurt that he decided not to bring her with him. She was proud of what she built here and was reluctant to leave and start over, but to not be asked hurt her pride.

She had turned her home into a veritable fortress.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Even larger and more robust than the one she led in the tutorial.

The continual rise she managed to bring about had plateaued and she struggled to keep it from all falling apart. All the problems were adding up and she couldn't find the time to both grow the City and defend against the threats.

The most problematic of which was this new Dungeon break. With Nick taking everyone that could fight, there was no one left to delve the Dungeons. Tracy knew that without them the Dungeon would break, but she couldn't afford to send people out there to keep it from happening.

The Dungeons nearer to the City were already hard enough to keep delved. She'd rather a break happen farther away than right next door. For months she tried to juggle all the problems and this was only the first one to drop.

There would be more. She was sure of that much.

And it couldn't have come at a worse time.

People who traveled from City to City were rare. Not many braved the Wild and even fewer volunteered to drive supplies to and fro.

Merchants trying to level were some of the only few other than people looking for adventure. Some did it for fights as well, as the forests and plains held beasts strong enough for a challenge.

Especially with the rising mana levels.

As they plodded from City to City, word carried with them.

It was slow, glacially slow most of the time, but it was her only source of information outside her sphere of influence.

Before her runner came barging in with yet another problem to manage, she was trying to make sense of the one that had already come up.

If word from the travelers was to be believed, an Obelisk was found.

If it was only that, she would've dismissed it. People came into the City every day spewing odd shit, but too many details added up this time for her to do that.

The area it was found was... peculiar.

If looked at on the map, it was in the center of what lay East of the Mountains. No map she had detailed anything West of the Mountains and it was sparse at best on what it did show.

At best, she knew of the East Coast to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf to the Northern reaches of Canada but only vaguely. The only places with more detail were the direct surroundings of where her City stood.

Markings depicted the pylons they knew of and the various pieces of civilization that managed to put themselves back together.

Nick's new City to the North, a pylon in the middle of Iowa, one in Minnesota, and a few marring the Coast. Travel to the South was nearly impossible, as getting past the river hindered all movement.

The ones along the Coast were guesses mainly, as it was hearsay in the first place that they even existed.

Another was in the same boat. One was marked for Ice and stood far to the North surrounded by question marks. Tracy wasn't sure where the City stood but she was at least sure about one thing.

She knew it hadn't fallen.

Anything beyond that was outside her capabilities.

Staring at the map alerted her to why this Obelisk 'sighting' was odd.

Without confirmation of if the Obelisk was even there, and with only that to go off of, it wouldn't have been that large of an issue. While slightly alarming, it wasn't as important as keeping the Dungeons contained.

What sealed the deal and made the problem the highest of her priorities, was that there was a countdown ticking away on one of its sides. Supposedly.

When the timer was counted out on a calendar, it marked the exact day everyone returned from the tutorials. When it hit zero, it marked two years exactly.

She didn't need a fortune teller for what it was for.

Their 'test' was due.

We have to send word to our neighbors. Maybe send someone to verify what was said. The closest is Des Moines they could be convinced...

Plans were forming on what she was going to do.

Hendricks

A year and a half and they were no further than when they started. The Haunted Woods remained unconquered. It felt like the eerie fog was laughing in their face for even trying.

A part of him wanted to smash whoever came up with the name but once it was said, it had stuck and it was too late to muzzle the man responsible. It was fitting, but that didn't change the fact he didn't like it.

He knew too many that had died in the Woods for the name to feel like anything other than an insult.

The decision was made and they pulled back to the coast. Any inroads they made into the forest were lost and the forward operating bases were mothballed.

Hendricks and his team were relegated to protection duty after the invasion failed. It spurned him to give up on the efforts to reach Washington but they couldn't keep throwing bodies at the problem.

The Navy, or what they could rebuild, secured what shipping lanes they could find. The coastal cities doing their best to make up for what their area didn't have.

Hendricks, and the rest of the Army, secured the West. Any E-ranked beast was marked and it was his job to hunt it.

The Admiral had ordered them to focus efforts on other avenues and that was his new job, even if he didn't like it.

There were other places in need of saving.

I doubt any of them are still alive anyway. It's not like they were fit and spry, let alone any semblance of athletic.

He wasn't the only one with that opinion of the 'politicians' they were trying to save. It wasn't like they were the picture of health. Some claimed they were all dead already and their attempts to rescue them were unfounded.

Hendricks put the odds at less than half made it through the tutorial and most were likely dead by now. Not that he would ever say that aloud.

Now wasn't the time for division.

"Captain, the Admiral wants to see you!" The man was off before Hendricks could respond.

Let's see where we'll be going this time.

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Hendricks and his team were one of the few to survive the Haunted Woods. Not only did they survive, but rose in power faster than the rest.

To commend that achievement, his team and a few other teams like his were moved up the chain of command and given tasks others weren't, or couldn't, handle.

The last break they had from normal operations was a few months ago.

Last time we sailed around the Haunted Woods up the coast to liberate Philly. Maybe we get to go South this time. Some time on the beach would be nice.

It took a while to navigate through the command center but he reached where he was needed in a few minutes. He had to wait a little longer to be seen but Hendricks was used to that by now.

The Admiral was surrounded by people and runners. More information flowed through one room than their entire settlement. More than all of their combined settlements.

And the man at its center was a force to be reckoned with. The four stars on his shoulder were impressive, but it was the presence he gave off that Hendricks was more wary of. It was like staring up at a mountain impossible to climb. Hendricks prided himself on being one of the strongest in camp, yet even he wilted in the face of him.

"Sir," Hendricks saluted and dropped it after it was returned. His back was ram-rod straight and only slightly misted with sweat.

"New intel has come in that we need confirmation on." The Admiral said firmly giving him no chance to refuse.

"Where are we headed?" Hendricks asked.

"With the maps out of date, our best guess is St. Louis." Papers were shuffled as one was picked out of the stack, "Everything we know is in here."

Hendricks took the offered paper and tried to keep his face neutral. It was a single paragraph on a sheet of paper.

Not much to go off of.

"A strange Obelisk was said to be found counting down to the date the tutorial ended. It marks two years exactly from when we returned and we think that our prophesized 'test' is here.

"Your orders are to locate the Obelisk, confirm if what was said is true, and send word back."

"Yes, sir!"