Snow fell in slow, lazy flakes that glimmered under the alpine sun. The wind was crisp, thin, and cold enough to bite, but it didn't stop the four women cutting through the slopes on polished boards.
Tourists had been watching them since they started from the top of the mountain. They were four sleek figures dressed in black and silver winter gear, their scarves fluttering wildly behind them. Each one moved differently. When they reached the bottom, spraying frost into the air with their final turns, a small crowd of tourists cheered. Someone whistled.
The women ignored them. They simply exchanged glances and faint smiles before unstrapping their snowboards and trudging across the snow. Their mirrored goggles reflected the pale blue sky and the distant glimmer of the ruins sitting deeper in the valley. They were half-buried marble pillars, frost-covered arches, and what looked like an altar of some kind.
The four women walked until the noise of the crowd faded behind them. Once they reached a secluded ridge overlooking the ruins, Rielinne tapped her glove, and a thin holographic screen appeared on her wrist. The readings shimmered faintly with Xana.
"Still active. Our Master was right. The objective's buried somewhere under those ruins."
Syraleh agreed, brushing some snow off her violet ponytail.
"Yes. And so are the scavengers. Look at that. There's like, what, thirty of them?"
Naelle, crouched near the edge, pulled up her binoculars. She zoomed in further and frowned.
"Thirty-five, maybe forty. They're a bunch of amateurs pretending to be hunters. Half of them are probably here just to record something for their feeds. Though some of those Flux signatures look strong. Probably hired by a House."
Rielinne nodded. "That tracks. Some wouldn't ignore this much Xana activity in one place."
"I still say we could take them," Iserra muttered as she adjusted her gloves. "We could do it in just one night. No one would even notice."
Rielinne looked at her, then gave a small smile, the kind that said she'd considered it too, but knew better.
"You know Master's orders. We should not carry out unnecessary bloodshed. We observe, we report, and we wait for the others."
Naelle groaned. "Right, right. No killing. He's so annoyingly kind sometimes."
That made Syraleh laugh softly. "You say that like it's a bad thing. You'd rather he be cold and cruel like Lady Xaessia?"
Naelle made a face. "I mean… she's terrifying. Beautiful, but terrifying. Master is not like that. He's…" She hesitated, searching for a word, then smirked. "He's dangerously charming."
That earned a round of snickers from the others.
"Oh, come on, tell me I'm wrong!" Naelle said defensively, raising her hands.
"You're not," Rielinne admitted with a knowing smirk. "But that's exactly why he's the way he is. He knows how to make you listen. You want to follow him not because he commands it, but because he believes in you."
Syraleh leaned against her board, her expression softening. "I didn't expect that, honestly. I thought he would be untouchable like his mother."
"He is untouchable," Iserra said flatly. "But not in a bad way. It's more like… his presence makes you feel like you're doing something important just by existing near him."
Naelle rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her grin. "By the Goddesses, you all sound in love with him."
"Who said I'm not?" Syraleh teased, smirking.
"Same," Iserra added dryly, tightening her boots again.
Rielinne sighed but smiled nonetheless.
"Focus, girls. We can swoon later. Right now, we have work to do."
Naelle stretched her arms, cracking her neck. "What's the plan then, boss lady?"
Rielinne pulled up another holographic feed. A small map appeared, highlighting the ruins below and a ski trail looping around them.
"We're going to do one more run past the ruins. Nothing fancy. We are just casual tourists having fun. While we pass, I'll scan the energy levels again and tag the strongest zones. I want confirmation before we contact Master."
"Sounds easy enough," Syraleh said. "I'll take the left flank. Naelle, you take right. Iserra, you're with me."
Iserra nodded. "Understood."
Naelle strapped her board again, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.
"You really think those people below have any clue what they're guarding?"
Rielinne's eyes flickered with a hint of mischief. "If they didn't, they would already be dead."
The four women positioned themselves at the top of the ridge once again.
Naelle adjusted her goggles. "Alright, ladies. Let's give the Alps a show."
Rielinne grinned. "And gather some intel while we're at it."
"On three," Syraleh said, bending forward.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three!"
The snow exploded under their boards as the Null Handmaidens dove back into the slope.
-----
Rielinne loved the sound of snow cutting under her board. The mountain air was thinner. Each exhale came out in a cloud of silver mist and for a fleeting moment, she forgot she was supposed to be working. She didn't feel cold thanks to her body constitution the Argemenes altered so the winter wear was just for appearances.
'God, this feels good,' she thought, a small smile tugging at her lips beneath her scarf.
She tilted her body slightly, guiding the board along a shallow curve as she slowed down. She could see the tattered tents dotting the snow-covered basin, the faint glow of Fluvehearts flickering near makeshift generators and the silhouettes of armed Fluxers patrolling the perimeter like mercenaries on borrowed time. Rielinne crouched low, pulling her scanner from her jacket sleeve. The holographic interface flared to life, mapping Xana in the vicinity.
"Mm-hm… same signature. Right beneath the central altar. So this is the third clue."
She zoomed in and the readings spiked. The concentration was unmistakable.
"Azure Sword fragment confirmed," she whispered, tucking the scanner back into her sleeve.
Her sharp gaze drifted down again toward the camp. There were dozens of tents with at least forty or fifty people, maybe more. The flickering light from their campfires cast long, dancing shadows on the snow, and the air below was alive with chatter and laughter. Rielinne adjusted her earpiece, letting the ambient sound filter through. Thanks to her hearing, she could hear then as she surfed in the snow.
"Outer 7 really came through for us, huh?" A male voice said.
"Yeah, man. Who else would fund something like this? We'd still be working gigs in Altera Earth if it weren't for him."
"Can you imagine if we find the clue? They said everyone gets a treasure from the vault."
"And actual money to survive, too! Like real money, not this system gold. Outer 7 promised we'd be set for life."
Rielinne exhaled softly through her nose.
"Outer_7, huh?"
The name rang a bell. Those who played the game knew this name. He was one of the best MoDS content creators. No one knew who they really were but he was helping new MoDS players on exploration and routes. Either way, whoever they were, they had massive resources.
Rielinne slid closer, peering down again as a group of Fluxers dragged supply crates toward the central altar. Her hearing, honed from her modifications, picked up their mutters even through the wind.
"Still weird seeing people surfing around up there. Those four look suspicious."
"Relax. They're just tourists. Rich ones. Probably from the Roman nobles or something."
"Yeah, but did you see the black gear? That's not normal ski gear."
"Shut up and get the scanners up, idiot. We need to be ready before midnight."
Rielinne smirked faintly, whispering under her breath.
"Guess I overdid it on the color coordination."
She tapped her earpiece twice.
"Syraleh, Naelle, Iserra—wrap it up. We've been spotted. Time to head out."
"Roger that," came Syraleh's calm voice.
"Ugh, just when it was getting fun," Naelle complained.
"We'll do another run later," Iserra said, deadpan.
Rielinne chuckled. "No, we won't. We're done here. Meet at the chalet in fifteen."
She turned her snowboard sideways and kicked off, the snow spraying as she descended the slope once more. Her scanner blinked one last time, locking the coordinates of the camp before shutting down. As she weaved between rocks and snowbanks, her thoughts drifted again to her Master.
She suspected he was an Outer, like her. The way he spoke, the precision in his words, the awareness of how the world's "script" bent around him, it wasn't something a normal inhabitant could pull off. But she didn't really care. Whether he was one or not didn't matter. He treated them with respect. He gave them purpose. And, she'd admit this to herself and no one else, he made her feel like she mattered.
"Still, Outer_7… That's too organized. Whoever they are, they are either Officia or House Fluxers."
Snowflakes brushed against her eyelashes. She exhaled and opened her communicator.
"Master, this is Rielinne. Confirming the presence of multiple Fluxers at the ruins. Estimated forty to fifty Commoner-class, funded by someone calling themselves Outer_7. They're camping directly above the clue site and will likely begin excavation before midnight."
She paused, staring at the ruins glowing faintly below.
"I'll send coordinates and thermal scans. My advice, whoever this Outer 7 is, they're not playing around. They've got enough money to move Outers across continents."
She ended the transmission and straightened up, looking over her shoulder. Her team was already sliding down the slope toward her, laughing like they hadn't just scouted a potential warzone. She strapped her board back to her pack and turned away from the ruins.,
"Outer_7, whoever you are, my Master's going to find you before you even realize it. And I also get to kill for the first time. Oh well..."