The closer the Tomb Riders got to their destination the frostier the air became. They had to warm their bodies by surrounding themselves in heat Soul Insignias.

The monumental mountain of ethereal snow was hardly an easy path to ascend; sometimes, even specific earth-bound Ghouls found it difficult a path to travel. Additionally, the creepy atmosphere was exuding baleful thunderstorms that impede the Tomb Riders’ velocity.

“We’re going through all this trouble just to get to a place that may or may not be there. What if it has already been destroyed?” A worried Tomb Rider complained as he continued behind the flock.

“That’s right. What if a passing Ghoul already smashed the place to bits?” Many Tomb Riders began wondering about the certain possibility of the facility already been decimated. If they got there and the facility was gone then they had to find somewhere else to recuperate.

Later on, Armoured Hero led the gang towards a strange area that had tall trees growing out of the mountainside. They resembled twisting pathways. Their trunk was thick, moreover, level enough for the Tomb Rider to ride across. They had to be extremely careful not to fall off, otherwise, it would have meant their doom. From there they took a detour to an isolated area where a big cave was present.

“Is the facility inside there?” Someone asked curiously. “It’s dark and creepy. Why would they build a safe house in there?”

Armoured Hero assured the gang by saying: “Come on. The path was made rough so that not many Ghouls could traverse it. Aside from the flying types. There shouldn’t be any other Ghoul that can reach here.”

They took extra precaution as they rode throughout the expansive dark cave. The terrible silence coupled with the billows of wind hitting the rocky surface caused a great stir of trepidation to build up within the anxious Tomb Riders.

“I think I see something up ahead.” Someone at the front pointed out.

“I see it too.” Another person agreed.

What the gang discovered was the same facility that Armoured Hero and Trisha previously spoke about. Unexpectedly, the robust facility was still in functional condition. Meaning that it hadn’t been discovered by any Ghouls yet.

“This place is still operational.” Armoured Hero was relieved as he cast his restless eyes upon the simple cube-shaped facility. Though he seemed composed to others, he was previously fretting over the facility being long overrun by Ghouls. “Let’s go inside.”

The gathering Tomb Riders parked their motors outside. They reversed them to a Motors Cube before going over to the facility’s entrance.

“It’s locked. Does anybody know how to open this thing?”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Why don’t we just blast our way through?” Unruly Ban suggested.

“Are you foolish? An explosion that big would certainly attract the attention of unwanted guests.”

“Then what’s your brilliant idea, smarty-pants? I don’t see a keypad nor a lock anywhere.”

“Let me take a look.” Trisha, the lady who belonged to the Nox Research Division walked over to the metallic doorframe. There she discovered a hidden function on the wall. When she finished tapping coded buttons, the entrance began to open.

“Now that’s more like it!” Shouted an elated Tomb Rider. “Let’s get inside before we freeze to death.”

Everyone entered the facility. Astonishingly, the interior was very empty; not even a table or desk was seen inside.

“This place is clean as a whistle. How come it’s so empty?”

“What does that matter? As long as there is a protected space for us to rest up in then nothing else matters. We didn’t enter this Ghoul Graveyard to picnic.”

“Alright, alright, don’t chew my head off. I was only voicing my opinion. Now, where should I set up camp..? Hm… that corner looks good.”

The Tomb Riders began spreading out inside the spacious facility that lacked all manner of décor. Aside from the lights that illuminated the interior, no other decoration was present.

“Whoever built this place was only concern about safety and nothing else.” Angelina surmised correctly. The builders of the facility weren’t at all concern about aesthetics when their life was on the line. All they cared about was a roof over their heads and sturdy walls that could protect them from getting mauled by unexpected Ghouls.

“This base isn’t pretty, but it is durable enough.” Angelina tested the toughness of the facility by tapping the walls with her knuckles. Afterwards, she began searching for a suitable space to rest, somewhere she could tend to her motor’s repair.

“A.J wait for me!” Fluffy Tanya didn’t leave Angelina’s side. Over the course of unyielding adversity, they became what some might call friends.

Finished setting up their mini-camp beside each other, Angelina and Fluffy Tanya took care of their injuries before commencing the repair of their damaged Motors Cube. In the process of doing this, Angelina found time to re-energize the depleted Soul Insignias that comprised her Ghoul Trigger.

Fluffy Tanya couldn’t help admire Angelina’s weapon. “Wow, so that’s what your Ghoul Trigger looks like up close, A.J?”

“Yeah. It’s not very fancy but I like it.”

“What are you talking about, girl? It looks great. I’m ashamed to admit that I couldn’t afford a proper Ghoul Trigger to bring with me on this expedition.”

Angelina was startled when she heard this. “How come? Aren’t you a Pro Tomb Rider? I thought all Pro Tomb Riders own a Ghoul Trigger.”

“I did own one in the past. But I ah… it’s a little bit embarrassing to say.” Fluffy Tanya wondered if she should divulge her private life to Angelina. ‘What the heck. I might end up dying here anyways.’

“I had to sell my Ghoul Trigger to pay off some of my boyfriend’s debts. He’s a sweet guy but he gambles a lot. So I had to help him out you know? The reason I volunteered for this expedition is so that I could earn enough money. Even if I end up dying here, the contract that I signed will make sure that he receives my unclaimed benefits.”

“Hmm…” Angelina answered with a soft grunt then thought internally: ‘What a stupid lady. Selling off such a precious tool for some man? Is he that good in the sack for her to go through a life and death experience? Tsk, this love-struck fool. A meaningless endeavour on her part.’

Fluffy Tanya continued spilling her private life to Angelina. Even though Angelina tried many times to give her a hint that she wasn’t interested in listening, Fluffy Tanya kept on spitting her personal words.