“I’ve been calling all day, but her highness has been too busy for little old me” Mike's voice ozing sarcasm.

Clio let out an awkward chuckle, “It’s been an eventful day.”

Mike’s voice turned serious, “What happened? Is everything alright?”

“Yes, well no, I getting deployed in” Clio glanced at the time at the top of her screen, “2 hours and 5 minutes. I’m getting sent to Antarctica which like I still don’t feel is real. Like I’m gonna get on the plane, fly around for a while, before landing back here. And um well I’m gonna be gone for a year.”

“What. Clio. What. You’re going to Antarctica. Like super dangerous, too many fucking gates breaks Antarctica”

Clio could hear his cocked eyebrow over the phone.“Yeah. It all seems so unreal.”

“What about graduation? They’re not letting you stay two weeks to go to it?”

“No, its time sensitive or some bullshit like that. Like what cruel god made me go through the four years of torture that was high school and then when I’m finally at the fun part they make me go fight monsters in the below freezing cold.”

“So when will I see you again.”

Clio’s response was barely audible, “I don’t know. They say I’ll be back in a year, but who knows.”

“Stay safe ok, and if you don’t I’ll make you watch Cleopatra the 1963 version.”

“I swear to god if you do that I will hit you into next week! You know that is based purely on the Roman-centric narrative of Cleopatra VII, she was so much more than a sex icon!”

“Sounds like you’ll have to stay safe then.”

“I will and you make sure you don’t break any more bones while I’m away.” Clio snipped back. Mike had picked up the unfortunate habit of breaking a bone at least once a year for almost as long as Clio had known him. The count was running 20 strong, mostly arms from his clumpy nature.

Clio nearly jumped out of her skin when Hunter Harmon came to collect her two hours later. Biding Mike a sad farewell she followed the hunter out through a part of the building she had been shown yet. They exited through a discreet back door that opened directly onto the street. A sleek Black BMW series 7 with a freshly polished exterior gleaming under the streetlights was waiting. The driver, a shorter woman in a crisp uniform, not a single hair out of place, got out and held the back door open for Clio. She awkwardly slid into the luxurious backseat, hunching her shoulder with embarrassment.

The drive to the airport was awkwardly silent. Finally, Clio was free from the oppressive nature of not knowing how to act, only to confront it once again. A flight attendant awaited her to the hunter’s waiting lounge. An opulent waiting room complete with its own private bar, training rooms, and restaurant. Hunters, even low-level ones, like her, were treated as a part of the upper echelon.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Her seat on the plane was just as lavish, at the very front of the plane complete with seats that fully reclined. The food served was in multiple courses and for airplane food it was mouth-watering. The plane ride herself was uneventful, with only some mild turbulence. For some reason, Clio loved plane rides, even though she was terrified of trains.

The airport was on a peninsula jutting out into the Beagle Channel and while it was a small airport, with only one runway it was well-organized and clean. Security was a breeze. The wait was harder. Oddly not very many places are open at 5 in the morning.

Drake's passage was hell. The waves rose like walls crashing into the boat, almost like monsters trying to tear it apart. Clio wished to be anywhere but on that damn boat. Getting tossed like a rag doll and sadly she learned she did in fact get seasick. It was a miserable two days.

But finally, she had made it to her destination. Leaving her cab for the first time, she got on deck with the freezing air in her face. She could feel it turning red. The magically reinforced winter suit the NHA had given her was a godsend. Allowing her to survive in the -11 Fo. It was incomparable to any other cold she had felt. Something she never realized was how teal glacier feed water was. It looked like some fantastical world from beyond the gate. The glacier rose as tall as buildings on either side. When the boat jilted to a stop on the icy shore Clio couldn’t believe it was all real. Real and incredibly bright. Squinting her eyes against the reflected sun rays she called up her inventory for her sunglasses. Stepping off the boat she stumbled, not used to the ground staying stationary.

“Welcome!” Called a cheery voice.

Clio turned to find a tall woman with pulled-back silver hair and frost-blue eyes standing there in a white crop top and grey cameo pants. “You must be the new addition to our little family here. I’m Theia, A rank, the local portal and ice expert, both magically and academically. Your Clio, the D rank right?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Clio nodded hastily, unsure of what to do in front of such a powerful individual.

“Oh, none of that! I’m just your average all-powerful person.” Theia said with a wink. “Now let’s get going. I’m sure the others will be eager to meet the new recruit. We rarely get fresh blood.”

Clio took the A rank extended hand and in a flash the world changed. From one desolate landscape to another at the edge of an outpost. That she could only assume was the Boreas Hunter Base. Her ears were assaulted by blaring sirens.

“A gate break looks like we’ll get to have some fun on your first day!” Theia said, eyes sparking with a murderous glee that Clio did not like the look of.

Theia took off at a sprint towards the few buildings dwarfed by the glowing yellow gate. After a moment of awe, Clio followed the trail of dust the A rank left behind her. Clio couldn’t ever hope to match her blistering speed. When she finally caught up Theia was encircled by 24 or so ice wolfs.

Their mawhs hung open, their saliva dripping onto the snow outlining the paths the wolves had taken with blue. Then a wolf’s back leg tensed and it pounced. Its gleaming white teeth catch the sun. Theia reach up as casually as one must toss a book behind them and hit the wolf square in the neck. Sending it flying across the icy landscape. When it landed its neck was bent at an unnatural angle. The other wolves buried their fangs with anger at their comrade’s demise. Two pounced at Theia’s unarmored legs, while another jumped straight at her face. The last used its brethren’s attacks as distractions to sneak up behind Theia. Clio almost called out but thought better of it. She could do nothing in this battle she could hardly keep up with.

Theia dispatched each wolf with refined movements and cruel precision. The wolves’ green blood combined with blue saliva on the once pristine white canvas of snow made them a brutal painting reminiscent of one of Jackson Pollock’s masterpieces.

Clio couldn’t stop the temmer shaking her body. As she stared at the carnage around her. This would be her life. Trying not to look into the dead creature’s lifeless eyes she followed after Theia who was striking out for her next kill. The scene repeated itself creating a merciless gallery. Yet the closer they got to the gate the more wolves that appeared.

Clio felt like the world was sped up around her as combatants battled with speed and strength she could barely register. Before she could notice its existence a wolf turned from its battle with Theia and pounced. She barely had time to raise her left arm to shield her face. The beast’s vice-like jaw clamped down on her forearm and moment carried them to the ground. The wolf’s weight pushed her deep into the snow, so the only thing that filled her vision was its cruel yellow eyes. It pulled back showing a mouth dripping with her blood. Using her right hand Clio withdrew her hairpiece, positioning it so the tip faced the sky she waited. When the wolf’s harsh eyes appeared again she willed the accessory to expand. The wooden base expanded and the gold decals merged into a spearhead. It stabbed clean through the skull. Leave its skull impaled on her weapon. The corpse slid down onto Clio trapping her in a frozen prison.

She didn’t know how long she remained face full of the wicked beast’s jarringly soft fur. She thought about retracting her spear but decided against it. It served as a marker for her position making it more likely for someone to come and find her. And eventually, someone did. The Ice wolf was thrown off her and she was helped out of her crater. The bright light blinded her, making it impossible to see the state of the battle around her. All she could hear was a voice as icy as the owner’s powers, gone was its previous welcoming tone “You almost got killed by the weakest monster here.” Theia snorted, “You probably paid your way here to earn clout back home. No hunter’s agency would send someone so useless otherwise. Well listen up princess, this isn’t a vacation. You’re lucky you didn’t die or get someone else killed.”