The woman clutched the thermal blanket tighter, her knuckles white as she looked at the metallic walls around her. She didn't recognize the machinery; to her, the interior of thehelicopter was like something out of a fever dream.

"I didn't know where I was going. I had been trapped in the dark for so long... in the cellars beneath the houses.

"Then why did you come toward the hotel? You were circling it like you were looking for something," Ethan said.

"I was desperate for help. I wanted to run to the first person I saw, but I stopped. I heard the guards talking while they were drinking in the hallway outside my cell. They laughed about how the whole town was in on it... how everyone here is paid to keep the secret and that no one would ever help a 'stray' like me. I lost my nerve and ran for the trees, but the alarm sounded so fast," she said.

Ethan stepped closer, his shadow looming over her. "And how did you get that wound? You weren't just bleeding; you had a piece of rusted iron buried in your gut," Ethan said.

"As I was climbing out of the hatch, one of them saw me. He didn't use a gun... he used a harpoon. They use them so we don't die instantly, but we can't run far. I felt it tear through me, but the fear was stronger than the pain. I kept moving until the world went black," she said.

Ethan rubbed his chin, a cold anger beginning to boil beneath his skin. The "Gods" weren't just running a logistics point; they had turned a whole community into a collective of monsters.

"You mentioned cellars. How many people are down there?" Ethan said.

"Dozens... maybe more. They bring us in trucks and move us through the tunnels so the 'tourists' don't see anything. They are preparing a large group right now. They said the storm was the perfect cover to move the 'heavy cargo' to the docks," she said.

Ethan turned toward the cockpit partition. "Crul, did you get all that?" Ethan said.

[I am already cross-referencing her description with the thermal anomalies I detected earlier. There are indeed hollow structures beneath the main street's foundations that do not appear on any official blueprints. The 'shipment' she mentions is likely the human trafficking haul we were looking for,] said Crul.

Ethan looked back at the woman. She was small, broken, and terrified, yet she had managed to do what his elite sensors couldn't: find the entrance to the lair.

"What is your name?" Ethan said.

"Kira," she said.

"Well, Kira, stay here. This is the safest place in this godforsaken town. I have a few doors to kick down," Ethan said.

"Don't go," Kira said, her voice trembling as she grabbed the edge of his sleeve. "You don't understand. You must leave this place immediately. Run while the storm is still thick."

"And why is that? I have an army of my own, Kira," Ethan said.

"It doesn't matter. They have no intention of letting you leave. Every tourist who wanders too close to this transport point disappears forever. No one ever returns from Northfall," Kira said.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, leaning in closer. "I don't follow. Explain it to me clearly," Ethan said.

"Tomorrow, at the latest, the collection vessel will arrive. They will move everyone from the cellars to the ships. But the ship doesn't just carry cargo... it brings hundreds of soldiers we call the Khriscar. They are immortals. They are the ones who slaughtered my tribe. They cannot be killed by normal means," Kira said.

Ethan stood still, absorbing the information. "How do you know all of this?" Ethan said.

"Everyone knows. Every village for hundreds of miles lives in terror of this place because of the Khriscar. They are the shadows that guard the ice," Kira said.

"But the shipment wasn't scheduled for another two days," Ethan said.

Kira froze, looking up at him with realization dawning in her eyes. "You didn't come here by accident. You came for them," she said.

Ethan let out a sharp, cold laugh. "Very smart, lady. That's right. I came to massacre these idiots. My people are already on their way to wipe them off the map," Ethan said.

"When will your reinforcements arrive, my lord?" Kira asked, her voice filled with a desperate flicker of hope.

"If everything goes well, they should be here tomorrow night. If things go south, maybe two days," Ethan said.

Kira shook her head frantically. "They won't arrive in time. The vessel arrives tomorrow afternoon. It will stay for a full day to load the cargo and resupply, and then it vanishes back into the deep ice. If your men aren't here when the Khriscar land, you will be trapped," she said.

Ethan's expression hardened. He tapped his earpiece. "Crul, change of plans. Tell everyone to accelerate. I want them here before that ship touches the dock," Ethan said.

[Understood, Master. Modifying routes. Adjusting signal dampeners to allow for high-speed travel. Approximate time of arrival: 16 hours. They should be on-site tomorrow by 2:00 PM,] Crul said.

Ethan turned back to Kira, pointing toward a small door at the back of the cabin. "There's a hot shower in there where you can wash up and relax. You need to get your strength back," Ethan said.

He headed for the hatch, checking his sidearm one last time. "I have to get back to the hotel to prepare. Stay here and don't touch anything. Don't try to fly this thing—it's far more dangerous than it looks. Just wait for my signal," Ethan said.

Kira reached out with trembling hands, her eyes searching the cluttered medical station.

"What are you looking for?" Ethan said.

"My cloak... please," Kira said.

Ethan reached for the blood-stained pile of furs he had cut from her earlier. He handed it to her, and she immediately began fumbling through a hidden seam in the heavy lining. After a moment, she pulled out a long, strangely crafted iron key. It looked ancient, but the teeth were sharp and precise.

She held it out to him, her hand still shaking. Ethan took the cold metal, turning it over in his palm.

"What is this for?" Ethan said.

"It belongs to the guards. I managed to steal it from the head warden's belt during the confusion of the harvest. It is how I escaped... that key opens any door in the prisons beneath the town," Kira said.

Ethan gripped the key tight, feeling the weight of the advantage he now held. He gave her a final nod before slipping out into the freezing night, leaving her safe within the steel walls of the helicopter.

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